


Mission Dispel

by LadyBlack3



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, F/M, M/M, Spy - Freeform, Undercover, mission, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2019-11-29 06:40:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18219557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBlack3/pseuds/LadyBlack3
Summary: It is the year 2008 and trouble is brewing in Europe. Now part of an elite secret service team, Hermione and Draco come across an old foe who leads them to discover a threat to their world greater than Voldemort himself. Once again they undertake a mission together, but will this one prove fateful? Dramione





	1. Chapter 1

 

**AN: Dear readers and followers, wishing you all a happy new year and hope to once again getting into the swing of posting my writing after a few months' hiatus due to work. I hope you all had a good break and started January on a positive note. I've always wanted to write a spy romance with a twist and this idea just wouldn't leave me so here we are! I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Always,**

**Genevieve**

* * *

 

**Thursday 28th August 2008**

Her spine popped in several places as she stretched in the cramped seat of a muggle airplane that just landed at Heathrow airport after too many hours to count. Hermione knew traveling from Melbourne to London like a muggle would be tiring but she was very ready to be on solid ground once more, have a shower and a proper meal. She packed up her book and mobile phone into her crossbody bag and followed everyone else through the passport control and to the luggage claim where she picked up her small, black suitcase. To everyone else around her, she looked like a young tourist, traveling comfortably on a long flight in her black leggings and a long-sleeve sweater. She was wearing no make up and her riotous hair was wrestled into a messy plait to add to her casual traveller look.

She looked around the arrivals lounge for a very familiar head of blond hair, but instead her eye caught another familiar form, leaning casually against the barriers and waiting for her.

"Bongiorno, cara," Blaise leaned down and pecked her cheek, taking the suitcase from her and offering a genuine smile when she wrapped her arm around his biceps to be escorted out.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but where is my other half?" she asked, offering a beaming smile of her own, keeping up the pretence of a happy young couple reuniting for the benefit of the muggles around them.

Blaise led her through the nearest door to the car park where she had parked her inconspicuous dark grey Ford Focus that she liked to use and change number plates on for missions that required cover. "He was having a bit of a clear out and getting rid of some rubbish," he said pointedly as he put her suitcase in the boot and they sat in the car, Hermione taking the wheel.

She was expecting Draco to pick her up but she wouldn't complain about Blaise being the one to do so instead. He was excellent company and they got on like a house on fire the moment they started working together nearly eight years ago now.

They had lost so many in the final battle - Fred, Remus, Tonks, Professor Flitwick, just to name a few. The funerals were exhausting, and so were the trials that followed. She testified at a few and witnessed others in-between helping Poppy in the infirmary and Minerva with rebuilding the ancient castle. While the whole of the Wizarding Britain celebrated, Hermione began a long road of recovery with proper meals, dreamless sleep to help her stave off the nightmares, and some resting in between her responsibilities. It did her a world of good. After a summer of restoration, the castle was ready to admit new students come September. She was neither surprised when Minerva asked her to stay and finish her N.E.W.T.s, nor when Harry and Ron politely declined and headed straight into Auror training instead. Even before the war ended, Hermione knew that if they all survived, the two boys would stick together and do what they've always wanted to do. She didn't even try to date with Ron, and chopped up the kiss in the heat of the battle to the adrenaline. She was in no mind to date, just wanted to finish her education and think about her future.

She ended up taking her N.E.W.T. year with Ginny, and surprisingly both Draco and Blaise. There was no childhood animosity left between them, but they kept a healthy distance from each other and greeted each other with a polite nod in the corridors. That was the extent of their interaction until they met again in September 2000. It was then that Hermione joined the Special Undercover unit at the newly restructured Department of Mysteries, after obtaining a degree in International Relations. At that time, their department was independent and consisted of no more than fifteen agents in the field and in training, with focus on undercover work where Draco and Blaise worked, communications and intel gathering where Hermione started, and IT where surprisingly Dean Thomas joined them the same year as Hermione.

Over the next seven years, they all learned immensely on the job, and their team nearly doubled in numbers and efficiency. With time Hermione began doing undercover and apprehension work, both Blaise and Draco joined her on intel gathering missions, and they began to stand out as team leaders for the different areas of their department. They now settled into a routine of their colleagues and trainees working on medium risk and low priority cases, Blaise mentoring and training the team, and Hermione and Draco managing the operations for the high profile cases. They reported directly to Kingsley who become the most popular Minister of Magic in the past two centuries, and who had the final say in the most politically delicate cases. They worked well together and despite the highly demanding nature of their work, she relished in putting her knowledge and skills to such good use.

Hermione and Blaise stayed silent for a moment as she focused on charming the machine to let them out without paying the exorbitant parking fee, and settling into the traffic heading for her flat in Clapham. It would take approximately an hour this time of the afternoon to get there, so they would have plenty of time to catch up.

"Okay, spill," she looked at the handsome man beside her momentarily as they stopped at a red light.

"It is great to see you after three weeks. I've missed you too, sweetheart," he drawled sarcastically though the charming grin didn't leave his face.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I just spent 24 hours travelling, I need a shower like it's nobody's business and I am also rather hungry. So either tell me what I need to know or get out of my car, Zabini," she growled as she sped up a bit on the road.

Blaise merely chuckled and leaned back in his seat comfortably. "I like it when you get feisty, cara," he teased, making her tut at his flirting.

She couldn't stay mad at him for long though and it was good to see him after nearly a month away on a mission. "Yes, I am well aware that you are a lover, not a fighter," she teased back before settling into the drive a bit more herself, knowing she won't get home any quicker anyway. "Really, how has everyone been while I was gone?" she asked, glad to be back home.

"Where to begin…" Blaise teased her for a moment before turning serious. "Everyone at the Ministry is nervous about the financial crisis escalating in the muggle world, especially in the U.S., and there is some unrest in the Gaza Strip as well, so things are a bit tense for the Blues. Potter has been busy with the Reds as well, dealing with some of the domestic disturbances, a few targeted murders but it hasn't escalated to us," he summarised briefly.

They worked closely with two other departments; the Muggle Relations Bureau whom they called 'the Blues' after their navy blue Ministry robes, and the Auror department that was taken over by Harry as Head Auror last year and was easily recognised by their crimson A-letter patches on their grey robes, hence the nickname 'the Reds'. The Undercover Unit were known as the Blacks after their long black cloaks and their secrecy. They had their own floo access straight in the department so no one really knew what they worked on or who was in charge of their department. This colour coded system allowed them to quickly mark cases based on whose cooperation they required, and anything that was marked for the attention of the Blacks immediately became confidential information.

"I've been following the muggle news and there is definitely more trouble on the horizon," she agreed. "I'll have to catch up with Harry about those murders. The U.S. and Middle East have been widely discussed in the news but Europe seems to be too quiet, I don't like it," she admitted.

"I'm not surprised. The last I heard from mother, Italy is crashing economically, so is Greece," he agreed. "I have Dean looking into both Europe and the U.S. to intercept the worst of it ahead of time if we need to intervene. Other than that we have two new trainees, one started last week and the other is starting next week when you officially return. And as far as I heard, you will be a colleague down in about six months," he added with a grin.

Hermione raised a curious brow, thinking about his wording before it sunk in. "So it's confirmed? Alice is finally pregnant?" she asked excitedly.

Blaise nodded in confirmation, her excitement making him smile. Alice was one of her communications experts and has been trying for a baby with her partner for nearly three years now, so despite it making them a bit short-staffed in the field soon, Hermione couldn't be happier for her colleague. "That is excellent news. We'll have to move her onto desk duty but Rhymela is more than ready to take her place. I'll make sure to get Alice a card from our team," she made a mental note as she went around the roundabout, glad they were making good headway through the city despite the roadworks. They drove in comfortable silence for a while until they were nearly at the Georgian townhouse that housed her flat.

"And how was Australia?" he asked after a moment.

Hermione tutted. "Productive, but I will give full briefing on that once I put the information together," she said before parking in her designated space and looking across at him. "Now will you keep avoiding the elephant in the room or do you want to come in and tell me about it?" she asked.

Blaise knew there was no escaping it so he helped her get her luggage up the stairs to her flat and followed her in. Hermione cast a few dusting charms and opened the windows to let some of the warm air in, smiling at the unmistakeable smell of her flat that signalled she was home. "Can you please put the kettle on? I will be ten minutes," Hermione grabbed her suitcase and watched as he headed for her kitchen, a route he knew by heart, before she headed to the bathroom.

The shower was hot and she could already feel her muscles relaxing as she quickly tamed and conditioned her hair and washed the travel grime off her skin. She joined him in the kitchen much refreshed, after putting on a simple cotton pencil skirt and long-sleeve top against the evening chill. Her large towel turban was heavy but she let it soak up the excess water as she settled down on the sofa next to her friend and colleague and took a sip of her tea.

"Hmmmm I can't even tell you how nice this cup of tea is after that rubbish they make in Australia," she mumbled happily as she took a sip of her favourite brand of tea, from her favourite mug, back home in her comfortable flat. It was the simple things sometimes…

Blaise chuckled at her behaviour, perfectly amused. "How many books did you bring back?" he asked, knowing it would be no less than ten.

Hermione looked a bit sheepish and mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" Blaise teased, making her say it out loud despite having heard her the first time.

"I said I brought back thirty books and some photocopies," she said proudly. "I am aware of my biblophillic ways, no need to mock the bookworm," she pouted but allowed herself to be pulled into his side and rested against him, soaking up his comforting warmth.

"I only tease you. You know I will be raiding your collection at some point anyway," he grinned, before his smile dropped somewhat. "I did pick you up for a reason though," he admitted, finally broaching the subject Hermione knew was coming.

She nodded and looked up at him, ready to hear it. "You said he was having a clear out and getting rid of some trash. I am assuming Astoria has moved out?" he asked.

Draco's turbulent marriage was something Hermione was very well aware of, especially as she has been his partner in work, drinking buddy, and the first number on the speed dial of his Blackberry for the past seven years.

"Something like that. He threw her out and sold the house. On the spot, just like that. As you can imagine, a five bedroom townhouse in Kensington that used to belong to a Malfoy sold in one day," he said with vague amusement before he sighed again tiredly. "He's currently in my guest room, silently drinking himself to death and nothing I do or say helps," he admitted quietly.

Hermione squeezed his hand in silent support, knowing it bothered the man to see his best friend broken like this and being unable to help. He's been Draco's friend for a long time, longer than Hermione, and yet there was something about her that comforted Draco more in certain situations. And he understood, a part of him always did and he could tell they were good for each other. But it still stung that there was nothing he could do for his friend right now.

"He knows you love him, and maybe he won't even talk to me. Maybe this is something he needs to get through alone, but we will be there to at least try and help," she promised and sent their empty mugs into the sink.

"I know you're probably exhausted but-" he began but stopped as she shook her head.

"I'm going to see him no matter how tired I am," she said and let herself be swept into his arms for a firm hug.

"It's good to have you home, cara," he kissed the top of her head, a comforting platonic gesture she received and returned many a time over the years.

"It is good to be back," she offered before they stepped through the floo.


	2. Chapter 2

They landed in Blaise's bachelor pad, three streets down from Draco's previous home. Blaise never did settle down, always looking for someone to love and have a great time with, but never meeting anyone he would like to make a commitment to. Hermione didn't blame him. His mother was on husband number eight and she could see the beautiful but deadly woman passed on her thirst for love and pleasure to her handsome son. At least he was responsible enough to not make anyone promises.

She headed straight for the guest room, worried for their friend and fresh divorcee. After the war, Lucius received the kiss for his part, Narcissa was released and left for France, taking her share of the Malfoy fortune to start a new life, and Draco was left to pick up the pieces and rebuild the Malfoy family name. He stayed in touch with his mother regularly and went to visit her once a year, but it wasn't the same after the war, and Hermione knew it weighed on him. The Manor was burned down by escaped Death Eaters, some of the rare books, heritage and portraits lost forever. So Draco sold the vast estate at least so the land and the beautiful gardens could be better utilised, and bought a townhouse in London that was better suited to his taste and close to the Ministry. His fortune was still vast and all the proceeds from the sale of the land and several other properties they weren't using went to various charities for war orphans, heritage and health trusts. It went a long way to help rebuild his reputation and he worked hard to maintain the good Malfoy name.

With that came the expectation to get married. He was a prominent pureblood bachelor with a great estate and despite his family's involvement in the war, he had quite a few eligible witches lined up to meet him. Blaise and herself knew his reasons for marrying Astoria were both political and personal, as she was introduced to him during one of the Ministry balls and he did genuinely see in her something unpracticed and natural that he grew to be fond of. And Hermione did think he may have loved his wife at one point…

She didn't bother knocking on the door. Having seen him in too many compromising situations over the past years, she couldn't care if he was naked and doing cartwheels. What she found however was a rather drunk version of the man she considered a dear friend.

"Hey," she greeted, kicking off her slippers and climbing into bed next to him.

He was a right state. His slacks were crinkled, his grey t-shirt had some tear and whiskey stains, and his hair that was usually neat and arranged was dishevelled and lacklustre. What however gave her the biggest pause were those red-rimmed, puffy eyes that held sorrow and the pain of betrayal that nearly made her hurt with him.

He just looked at her for a long moment, before dropping the empty Glenfiddich bottle on the floor with a dull thud and turning to curl up on his side to face her. "You're in Australia," his voice grated, as if he hasn't spoke for a day or two. Knowing him, he probably didn't speak to Blaise for most of the day so there was no surprise there.

"I got back three hours ago," she pointed to the towel still wrapped around her damp hair and tired but clean face.

Draco looked at her blearily, trying to decide whether she was real or a dream and reached out, touching her hand with his. She offered a small encouraging smile and laced their fingers, hoping the human contact would soothe him. With Draco it could go two ways. He usually rejected all help when getting over a problem and reappeared a few days later, ready to get back to normal. The times when he did accept help though, they knew he needed it the most.

"I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't live there after…" he rasped as he reached for her.

"I know," she whispered and wrapped him up in a tight hug, letting him cry into her jumper, his greasy blond locks tickling her chin as she just held him and let him get it out.

It was rare the blond showed his vulnerability and she provided the silent support he needed while the tears flowed. He eventually calmed down and she wondered whether he'd gone to sleep but then she felt him clean his face up with the cotton handkerchief she handed him earlier and his whispered words cut the silence in the room.

"At first I thought she wanted to grieve silently. She carried our son for five months, I thought she was happy we were expecting. When we lost him, she showed barely any emotion…." he said so softly that Hermione had to strain to hear him but she waited patiently for every word. "I saw my mother grieve a miscarriage before, and she never showed her pain. I thought this was the way Astoria coped. I was so wrong…" his throat tightened again and he leaned up to look at her. "She never wanted him in the first place because she was already seeing Villeminot, from the French Wizarding embassy… She was actually relieved her magic rejected our little boy…"

Hermione looked at him calmly and silently, though her eyes mirrored his pain and disbelief at such betrayal. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she managed to whisper as his eyes once again brimmed with heavy tears of mourning and his grip on her top tightened as he gave into the silent sobs that wrecked his tall frame.

And she just held him through it, sharing his pain and grief in comforting silence and tight hold as he let it overwhelm him. It was past midnight when he finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion, and Hermione herself was ready to drop. She unwrapped her towel and let it drop down beside the bed so her curls could dry overnight. Flicking her wand down at the blanket, it neatly covered them to prevent them from getting too cold, though Draco was holding onto her so tightly she had no doubt they might end up being too warm instead.

He finally looked more peaceful in his sleep, but she could clearly see the toll his broken marriage and the loss of their child took on him. A once happy and prospering marriage turned into a web of lies and infidelity. Astoria as it turned out was interested in the Malfoy name and the estate that came with it but never wanted to have children and didn't hold the fidelity clause high in regard. Hermione remembered Draco was devastated when they lost their baby last year. To now find out that not only did Astoria's magic and body reject their son but his wife didn't even mourn and instead fell into the arms of another man was devastating for the blond. Draco handled everything calmly and even when the tabloids got a hold of the divorce proceedings, he simply provided a short statement and requested the public allow the couple their privacy to avoid scandal. This heartbreak has been months in the making...

Hermione could understand why he paid the clerk to be swift with the divorce proceedings and sold the house immediately. She could remember his excitement as he began shopping for the nursery after the first trimester safely passed. She remembered his happy curiosity when she bought him a set of muggle glow in the dark stars for the walls of the nursery and he had them up all over the ceiling in seconds. Living in a house he bought for his family to grow into must have been torturous.

Maybe he would finally find some peace now that the house was sold and he could begin anew. With that thought, she settled down for the night and let her tired body get some rest with him.

….

She woke up to movement, realising she was holding onto a warm, slim body. She looked down sleepily and noticed Draco's grimace as the hangover kicked in, his deep frown a good indication of his raging headache. She summoned him a glass, filled it with water, and summoned a hangover potion form the medicine cabinet in the en suite bathroom.

"Drink up," she said softly to not irritate his head too much and moved out of the way.

Draco took the glass from her hand and raised up on his elbow to drink the water, grimacing more as he finished the whole glass off. "Thanks," he set it down and looked at her before rolling off the bed and rubbing his face tiredly.

"How about some breakfast?" she asked, wondering if he had any appetite.

Draco shrugged, not sure what his body could take. "Coffee, I think," he said softly, his mind still clearly weighed.

Hermione nodded and got out of bed. "I'll leave you to shower, take as long as you need," she offered before heading for the kitchen.

She felt her wild mane and groaned, toying with the wild curls and sensing the volume of it. There was nothing for it, she angered it by sleeping on it while it was damp, so she will just have to pay the price and let the beast live.

Blaise's side of the flat was still quiet so she cracked on and put his large moka on the hob while she started on her dad's French toast recipe. No one, not even hangover Draco could resist the cinnamon deliciousness. The coffee was ready in no time and she poured herself a double espresso which went down fairly quickly before she hunted down her favourite tea bags in Blaise's cupboard and made herself a nice steaming cuppa to go with breakfast.

"Is that your French toast?" Blaise padded in on bare feet in a t-shirt and a pari of silk boxers, sniffing the air like a bloodhound on the hunt.

"It is. Coffee is ready as well," she shooed him over to the other side of the kitchen bar to sit and get out of her way.

"Dray?" he asked after pouring himself a small cup of the strong ambrosia.

"Showering, should be out soon. What's the news?" she asked, seeing Blaise summon the muggle and wizarding mail from his mailbox.

"Let's see," he unfolded the Prophet and she could see by his unimpressed look that it was no good. "See for yourself before I chuck it in the fireplace," he said simply, handing it over.

Hermione exchanged a loaded plate for the paper, looking at the front page headline that screamed ' _Malfoy divorce finalised, love nest sold to realtor for £800,000 galleons!_ '. Beneath the headline was a photo of Astoria and her lover Jacque Villeminot seen having dinner in an opulent restaurant, and the beautiful house Draco sold just a couple of days ago. Splendid. Just what they needed right now.

She quickly flicked through the pages before chucking the thing to the other side of the table, paying it no more attention as she continued to flip the cooking toast a little bit more aggressively than perhaps necessary. Blaise would find it quite entertaining if his best friend's reputation wasn't being tarnished by his daft ex-wife.

Draco joined them a few moments later, wrapped up in Blaise's thick bathrobe, damp blond locks framing his tired face. He sat down next to Blaise on one of the free bar stools and raised a brow at the cup of strong coffee and plate of food before him.

"Up to you if you eat," Hermione shrugged and set down a full plate of bacon before she pilled up her own plate, charming the French toast to cool off a bit as she added some crème fraîche and strawberries instead. She sat across from them both and took a large bite, humming contentedly as she dug in with fervour, wiping some butter from the corner of her lips with a thumb before licking it like a cat that got the cream.

"Hungry much?" Blaise asked, though he never complained about a woman with an appetite.

"Well, you did forget to feed me last night so here we are. I'll work it off later anyway," she shrugged, unapologetic about eating a decent meal. There were still days when she ate little because she forgot to eat, but mostly she ate what she liked and worked out several times a week for fun anyway so her body while a bit more filled out never really allowed her to gain much weight.

"Are you still doing that Zumba thing?" he asked, having once popped into her flat for something and instead found her doing a strange aerobics and dance routine in a pair of ancient sweatpants and sports bra.

"Yes, it's fun. I used to dance all the time with my mum and dad. This way I get to work off any stress and don't have to be bound by the opening hours of a gym," she shrugged.

Blaise raised an unimpressed brow. "Fun? You should see this stuff, it looks really odd," he commented flippantly to Draco before he had to dodge a well-aimed spoon.

Draco watched the banter between his two friends flying as he sipped his coffee quietly. He wasn't about to tell Blaise he knew very well what Zumba was because he sometimes joined the brunette on her work out evenings. This somehow felt like a normal Friday morning, and for that he was grateful. Last night was his lowest point in a long while. All through the divorce and house sale he kept it together, but a few days ago his resolve broke and he couldn't help but allow himself to give in. And Hermione held him through it, like she did through every tough time in his life in the past decade. As he let the hot water beat his muscles relentlessly in the shower this morning, he felt a bit more at peace about the situation. Astoria's betrayal of their marriage and his trust was painful, but he did the worst of his grieving for their unborn son last year, and all he could feel when thinking about Astoria this morning was relief at no longer having her poison in his life. He knew the sorrow would somewhat always be there but perhaps with more time or the right person, he will be able to move on.

"Thanks for the breakfast cara, I have to dash," Blaise leaned down to peck her cheek before heading for his bedroom to get dressed, last rasher of bacon still in hand.

Hermione sent their plates into the sink, glad to see Draco ate at least half of his. "I'll need to go report to Kingsley this morning but I'm free from noon. Do you want to meet me for lunch? Maybe muggle London?" she suggested.

Since he was off work and in no hurry to do anything or be anywhere, he nodded. "Pick a place, my treat," he offered, a way of saying thank you for her being there for him.

Hermione walked around the island and kissed his cheek. "Time will heal," she said gently before patting his shoulder once more and heading home through the floo to get ready.

Blaise came back, fully dressed now for a leisurely day of combat and tailing simulations with the trainees. "Has she gone already?" he asked as he drank the last of the coffee left on the table and fastened his duelling doublet.

Draco nodded. "Debrief with Kingsley. Want to join us for lunch?" he asked.

Blaise shook his head. "Can't, already have a lunch date," he winked.

Draco shook his head though a small smile stretched his lips. "Horny bastard," he said good-naturedly and grinned when Blaise did nothing to dispute the words, only waggled his eyebrows at him.

"I am a lover-" he began saying.

"Not a fighter, yes, yes, we all know this," Draco drawled with a bored air. "Go on then, lover boy. Your trainees are waiting," he shooed him off.

Blaise grabbed his kit bag with the rest of his training gear and paused by the fire, looking at his friend. "Will you be alright?" he asked softly.

Draco contemplated him for a moment before nodding minutely. "I just need some time to get back on track," he admitted.

Blaise nodded and turned away before pausing once more when Draco cleared his throat, getting his attention. He paused, waiting, but realised what Draco wanted to say and just shook his head. "It's fine, I knew she would be able to pull you off a cliff edge if need be," he shrugged. "I'll see you later, yeah?" he offered a charming smile before stepping through the floo to the Ministry.

Draco sighed and got up to tidy the last bits in the kitchen. He should start looking at houses or flats to buy but it was far too daunting right now, so instead he headed to get dressed and find something to keep him occupied from thinking too much..


	3. Chapter 3

After a quick freshen up, Hermione pulled on a simple sage green wrap dress and quickly grabbed her crossbody bag before heading through the fire into their department.

She was greeted with nods and welcomes from her colleagues, chuckling at Alice who beamed at her from behind her cup of green tea.

"You're back! How was Australia?" she asked brightly.

"Starting to warm up again this time of the year. I hear congratulations are in order," she chuckled and went around the blonde's desk to give her a proper hug.

"Thank you, we're so excited, I can't believe we finally did it," she whispered, getting a bit emotional.

Hermione summoned her a tissue before handing over a wrapped box. "A little gift from Australia, I hope you both like it," she encouraged and watched with amusement as the young woman ripped the paper off enthusiastically and squealed in delight. "Like?" she asked.

"Love! But you couldn't have known!" she beamed at the beautiful pregnancy and birth journal.

Hermione looked sheepish. "I may have heard you seeing your breakfast for the second time one morning before I left. I got this just in case it was true, or for the future, and it is good to find out that you are finally living your dream," she explained.

"You are the best," Alice smiled before it turned into a cheeky grin. "So, were you only on mission or did you have time for a bit of fun?" she asked.

Hermione chuckled at her eagerness. "Well, I did have to attend a few tourist places and clubs to gather intel, and I may have stayed after working hours," she revealed.

"Did you meet anyone to share in your fun?" The blonde prodded further. She wasn't a gossip, just curious why their brilliant boss never seemed to date.

Hermione contemplated not giving in but in the end decided to put her friend out of misery. "I may have met a Scotsman living in Melbourne. He was..entertaining company until I found out in the morning that he puts the milk in first with the tea bag before adding the water," she whispered conspirationally.

Alice laughed but did shake her head in mild outrage. "Who does that, honestly?"

They caught up for a while longer before Hermione dropped off some of the equipment she had taken with her for the mission and signed some of the paperwork and expenses forms before heading up for her meeting with Kingsley. His secretary, a lovely young man she vaguely remembered from one of the younger years at Hogwarts held the door open for her to step in.

"Hermione, welcome back," Kingsley greeted from behind his desk, signing a document quickly before setting it aside to give her his full attention. The ex-Head Auror was ageing well, looking sharp in the emerald tailored robes. He unlocked the top drawer and pulled out the original file on the case that began her investigation.

"Thank you, it's good to be back home. Especially after a successful mission," she hinted as he flicked through the file.

"Do we have him?" he asked, looking up at her form the pages.

Hermione nodded and handed over a file with a sample of the evidence she gathered for him to look through. "We have him in sight. It is definitely Dolohov. I'm not going to lie, I did want to apprehend him myself, just to return the favour," her fingers subconsciously toyed with the neckline of her dress which hid the forever purple puckered scar that he inflicted on her in the very department she now worked for. "But I think there is reason to believe he is not working alone. He wasn't in Melbourne permanently, he only has a ninety day tourist visa and is intensely researching and visiting different historical sites and exhibitions. I believe he may be after an artefact of some sorts. I have some photographs that I am yet to study to see if I managed to capture any of his research materials for clues on themes or references. And while he burned most of his small notes and paperwork, I did manage to get some receipts and scribbles from his fireplace and bin to go over," she explained. Gathering intelligence wasn't always the glamorous, James Bond-type work everyone imagined. A lot of the time it was boring, tedious, and downright dirty, but she was more than fine with that. The thrill of piecing together the puzzles to figure out the big picture was what she loved.

Kingsley nodded. "Excellent. When will you have the full report?" he asked.

"I will be looking over some of the materials over the weekend and have it all with you on Monday before I take a few days off to recuperate. We are not in a hurry. He left on time to satisfy his visa but he clearly didn't find what he was looking for. I suspect this was one of several sites he or his cohorts are investigating. I'll include recommendation for next steps and we can assemble a team for follow up. Draco can have a clear strategy and more information gathered by the beginning of the following week," she suggested.

"Good work," Kingsley acknowledged with a proud twinkle in his eyes at the work of his protégé. After putting the confidential files away and handing back her photographs, he handed over two red files to her. "Some new trainees that are showing great potential in the Auror training. You may wish to discuss their profiles with Blaise, see if he wants to come observe them in a session and consider taking over their training," he indicated.

"I will pass these onto him," she nodded, recognising when she was being dismissed. "Have a lovely weekend, Mister Minister," she offered a cheeky smile before leaving him to it, smiling at the fond chuckle that accompanied her exit.

Hermione checked her watch and pulled out her phone, glad the Ministry invested into muggle technology, allowing for signal to mobile phones to work underground for them. She sent Draco a quick text with her choice for lunch before dropping of the trainee files with Blaise and heading for the muggle telephone booth lift. It took a while to get up to the muggle London street, but their favourite family-run Italian restaurant was thankfully not far. She stopped by at WHSmith's to pick up a couple of magazines for herself and Draco's surprising favourites, the Economist and Men's Health. She raised a brow at one of the front cover headlines that boasted 'Superhuman Sex Secrets' and 'Double your endurance', wondering why he continued to read this thing before paying for it nevertheless and heading down the street to fulfil her pasta craving.

She didn't see him outside so went in and nodded to the maître d' before finding her way to their usual booth in the back of the cosy restaurant. She found him already seated, nursing a glass of Prosseco. She eyed the opened bottle and sat across from him.

"For me? Aww, you didn't have to," she batted her eyelashes at him cheekily.

Draco snorted. "Dream on, Granger," he grinned and poured her a glass.

"What are we celebrating?" she asked, having a good idea that this was a beginning of her friend moving on.

Draco shrugged, looking into the glass at the small bubbles rising to the surface. "I don't know if you can call it celebrating. But I guess a part of me is glad to close this chapter," he admitted quietly, as if he were not supposed to voice it.

Astoria's betrayal was still raw in some ways but at the same time she was no longer in his life, he didn't have any ties to her and the home he once planned to share with her was sold. He could start anew, focus on work, and spend some more time with his friends.

"The ground floor flat below mine is going on sale next week," she piped up as she sipped the delightful bubbly and perused the new lunch menu.

Draco was momentarily surprised at her suggestion before masking it with his usual snark. "Wishing yourself on top of me, are you?" he teased.

Hermione raised a brow. "Now you've been dreaming, Malfoy," she tutted but smiled as she decided to go for some ravioli."Well if you think about it, it would sort out the issue of emergencies ," Hermione mused after placing their orders with the waiter.

Draco sipped his drink for a moment as he contemplated the idea. "True, however at the same time, if someone was trying to target either or both of us, they would have it very easy by taking out two birds with one stone," he pointed out.

"You presume I haven't thought of that already," she grinned before showing him her phone.

He checked the screen and saw in her contacts a very inconspicuous name. He wondered why she decided to show him before he realised where she was going with it. "If we buy out the building, we can manage it between the two of us, which means we can charm it," he grinned. "If you weren't such an insufferable Gryffindor, you could have been a successful Slytherin, " he teased, something that used to be a jibe once now a fond comment.

"We both know I ended up in Gryffindor because of Harry. And sadly being a muggleborn hardly opens doors in your world," she pointed out. "But to my earlier point, we could use Fidelius and someone like Luna, who is still sadly considered mad by many, would hardly be people's first choice in looking for our secret keeper. Everyone would expect it to be Blaise, or Harry, not 'Loony Lovegood," she quoted.

Draco contemplated it for a moment before nodding. "I'll do a viewing," he agreed.

"I'll check with Charlotte to see if you can come and have a look around. It will save her money if she doesn't have to list it with an agent," she pointed out and texted her neighbour before they dug into their meal.

More often than not they shared their meals, though admittedly it was not always so civilised. The memory of eating pot noodles in her pyjamas on one of their missions popped into mind, making her nose wrinkle momentarily before she took another bite of the delicious ravioli. She looked up at her lunch companion and noticed that while to most he would seem perfectly at ease, his eyes were a bit unfocused and the free hand not folding his fork was a bit restless. A distraction was in order.

"I will need some to time to go through my findings, raw materials and photographs before Monday's briefing. Want to help?" she asked.

Draco seemed to have brightened up a bit at this. "Sure. Was it him?" he asked casually, though he felt her tense slightly.

She nodded, taking a deep breath before chewing slowly, taking some time before responding. "It was him, yes. I sensed his aura before I saw through his new disguise," she kept a casual tone just as he did. To the muggles they appeared as if they could be taking about their day or the weather, a young couple or work colleagues having lunch. No one spotted the tightening of her knuckles on her fork but the blond across from her.

He didn't blame her for the silent rage. Dolohov was a mad, slippery bastard and he had seen the dark puckered scar he left behind with his curse between her breasts. He had no doubt that if they managed to uncover and stop whatever he was a part of, Hermione would be the one to chase him down. Draco wouldn't even complain if the bastard was killed during apprehension…

He topped up her glass which she sipped gratefully, enjoying the sparkling wine she rarely indulged in. "Want me to come in and do the briefing with you?" he asked. "It would be helpful for me to know as well," he pointed out.

Hermione contemplated him for a moment before shrugging. "Sure. You will know most of my findings anyway but I'm happy to share the planning. Blaise will be reviewing our team as well. We have two new potential trainees, but at the same time losing two field agents. We may need to work with the reds this time just to get the numbers," she mused, flicking her wand to discretely lower the wards she had cast around them as the waiter approached to take their plates and bring their bill. Draco didn't event look at it, just offered the young man a a few bank notes with a generous tip before they headed out.

"Hmmm I could go for dessert," Hermione mused before realising her kitchen was mostly empty with a side of dust. "And I need to go food shopping. Do you want to hang out at mine? I'll probably take about an hour. Actually, it may be worth you moving to my guest room for a bit while you help me with the findings anyway," she suggested, knowing Draco already had a toothbrush and some clothes at her flat.

Draco nodded, a bit relieved to be escaping Blaise's flat, as their friend was occasionally rather forgetful of silencing charms and he really didn't need to listen that. "I'll go pack," he agreed and grinned when she handed him his favourite magazines. "Thanks. I'll make a pot of tea for when you get in," he promised as they entered a small side alley and apparated quietly, each to their own destination.

* * *

Hermione popped back into her flat, feeling the jet-lag a bit more acutely now. She steadied herself as she landed, the block heeled sandals not helping her balance but she managed and headed for the kitchen.

Draco was seated at her small kitchen table like he belonged there, legs crossed leisurely as he read the Economist and sipped his cup of tea. He looked up when she came in, watching her unshrink the heavy bags with groceries. "Need help?" he asked.

Hermione just shook her head and set her handbag down before casting some cleaning charms to freshen up the dusty kitchen. "You can pour me a cup of tea though," she said as she began putting away the perishables in the fridge and glass jars of antipasti, passata, and other basics she liked to cook with into the cupboards.

Draco did just that, with just a dash of milk as she liked it, before returning to his article. Hermione soon joined him at the table where she kicked off her sandals and reached for her own magazine, sighing happily at the first sip of the delicious brew. They read for a while in companionable silence, the only sound the pouring of tea and milk as they passed the milk jug between them. They've learn the art of the silent presence after several missions where they nearly cursed each other from being cooped up together for too long. Learning to be in close proximity but still enjoy mental space from each other was what enabled their friendship to grow and deepen over the past years.

She closed her Psychologies issue and set it on the table next to her empty cup, looking at the clock. "Shall we get comfortable and start working on the evidence?" she asked, pulling her hair up into a messy bun to get it out of the way of their planned work. "I think I'll crash early tonight, so it would be good to get a few hours in," she suggested.

"It's a Friday night. This can wait if you want to read or rest," he pointed out, setting his magazine aside as well.

Hermione shook her head. "I want to get a good start on the evidence catalogue so I can write the report and have it with Kingsley as soon as possible. Then we can do the briefing and I can have the rest of the week off," she suggested.

"Sure," he nodded and they headed to change into something more comfortable that they wouldn't mind getting dirty.

Hermione returned in a pair of dark comfortable leggings and loose flannel shirt, flicking her wand to start a nice fire in the fireplace and move the furniture out of the way. She fetched a large square sheet of white waterproof plastic and laid it out on the floor in preparation. Her laptop was fully charged and ready, as was her scanner to preserve any fragile paper evidence.

"Do you have everything?" he asked, coming into the living room in a pair of torn jeans and a t-shirt, before noticing they were missing gloves. "Under the sink?" he asked.

"Yes. Can you please get the whole box? We'll have to change them quite often. I think there might be potions residue on some of this," she explained as she enlarged one of the travel trunks and opened it to reveal everything she had collected. Four bags of rubbish, a large container with a lot of ash and scraps of paper notes, and a case full of negatives and photo prints as well. "I had some time while staking him out so all of the photographs are developed, but I haven't gone through the rest yet," she explained.

"You spoil me," Draco drawled with a slight wrinkle to his nose, looking at all the rubbish.

"You agreed to help," she pointed out as she grabbed a pair of vinyl gloves from him and they set to work, emptying one bag at a time onto the plastic sheet to go through. Thank Merlin for charms to block the smell from their nose, as some of the scraps were mouldy food and she could see quite a few questionable items lurking in there.

She set up a recorder so they could converse easily and fully describe what they were seeing and finding without relying on a quick quill that wouldn't capture it verbatim. They worked in silence to separate the items into groups such as food, paper scraps, receipts, plastics and suspicious/miscellaneous.

"This is Agent DMIG01. The date is Friday 29th August 2008 and it is 4.12pm local Greenwich time. I am beginning the review of physical evidence from operation Melba in case number 0581," she began the recording as they sat on different sides on the plastic sheet to split the work.

"This is Agent DMRA01, supporting the case operations and request to assist in review of evidence in case number 0581," he identified himself before Hermione provided a verbal overview of the evidence gathered and began numbering the evidence for reference.

While not all of the items were useful, they were in the least indicative of Dolohov's behaviour. He attempted to go under the radar a much as he could, which meant navigating the muggle world. Sadly he lacked the finesse of blending in and they could see that in his eating habits and lack of proper disposal of evidence.

"Item 23, receipt from coffee shop on Cathedral Place, Melbourne. Receipt is dated 23rd August 2008 at 2.39pm local time. This receipt corresponds with investigation log H02," she paused, taking a moment to remember her own notes, grateful for her near impeccable memory. "The suspect visited the House of Parliament and 's Cathedral, both situated in the same square. This location may be a clue to a pattern of sites visited that need to be cross-referenced with the rest of the investigation logs," she added, making the note verbally for the record.

They ended up with 174 items in total just from the rubbish bags before they even began cross-referencing the data and went through the logs. They processed all the evidence, reserved and scanned what they would need, and disposed of the rest. Hermione chucked her pair of gloves into the bin, so done with work as she stretched her stiff spine tiredly.

"You owe me for this, Granger," Draco grumbled, making her chuckle. She was usually Hermione, but when he got grumpy, she would become Granger again, how predictable.

"Good thing I picked up food and dessert on the way home then," she offered as they set the laptop and scanner aside and dropped onto the sofa.

Too lazy to cast a tempus, Draco picked up her hand and checked her watch. "Is it already nearly eight? No wonder I'm starving and you look like you're about to drop," he observed, setting her hand down gently, conscious of the fact that it was her scarred arm.

Hermione flicked her wand and a few cartons flew in, holding hot noodles and broth, some dumplings and a couple of delicious pots of chocolate mousse. "Will this do?" she asked tiredly.

"You know me too well," he grinned and handed her one of the pairs of chopsticks that floated in with the napkins. "Any initial thoughts?" he asked as they dug in.

Hermione sucked the hanging noodle in and thought about it while she chewed. "Well," she began before taking a sip of the broth, "there might be some patterns that we wouldn't normally spot. I mean he did the whole tourist thing, you know. Visiting exhibitions and historical sites during the day, exploring the nightlife…. There is something about him that seems to attract women in clubs," she shuddered subconsciously at the thought of someone finding Dolohov attractive.

"He went to muggle clubs?" Draco asked surprised.

Hermione nodded. "Some regular dance clubs, a couple of strip clubs where he paid some girls to dance for him and help him relieve some tension, but other than that he mostly stayed in," she mused.

"Where were you stationed?" Draco asked, wondering how she had such a good view of him.

Hermione summoned one of the files and pulled out a photograph, showing him an unassuming little hotel next to an old building covered in scaffolding that was clearly unoccupied and being renovated. "I thought to get a room in the hotel and use polyjuice, but that building was too good to pass up. It used to be a hotel, but has been gutted since and they began rebuilding it. The works were on hiatus for two weeks during my stay. I managed to find a room one floor above and across from Dolohov's, I had a great view of his rooms," she explained and showed him another photograph of Dolohov bent over a map with several markings, his notes laid beside it for reference. "I want to take a closer look with the magnifying glass at these to see if we can spot anything that could give us a clue to pattern," she explained.

Draco surveyed the photos and looked at all the evidence she gathered with a nod. "You are too good at this," he teased, though the sentiment was honest.

As good as he was at silent apprehension and arrest, she was the best intelligence lead the Ministry had. Smart, silent, and deadly, with a particular knack for moving in the shadows and never being seen. There was a part of him that admired her skills greatly, but then again he was always used to admiring her from afar, even when he hurled insults at her while she bested him in every subject at Hogwarts, he admired that incredible brain of hers.

Hermione broke the hold of his gaze and sipped some more of her broth, trying to analyse the look he gave her. There was an intensity and occasionally a restless energy to the blond that usually resulted in a smooth apprehension of deadly agents, and made him an excellent and fearsome leader. But sometimes he would look at her with a particular thought in mind and it made his eyes darken slightly. And despite the many years of their friendship, she was never able to figure out just what that look meant.

Breaking the silent moment between them, she reached for a dumpling and dipped it into her broth for a moment before taking a large bite out, making him snicker. "Jet lag hungry?" he asked, the intensity from his gaze gone as he picked up a dumpling for himself.

"Probably," she shrugged, curling her feet up under herself to get more comfortable on her worn sofa, the long muggle traveling finally catching up with her. "I'll be right as rain by Monday," she promised.

Draco nodded and sent their rubbish and empty food cartons to the bin. "Let's get some rest. Early start tomorrow?" he suggested.

Hermione thought about it for a moment before nodding. Despite her regular attempts at a lie in, she always ended up sleeping only four to six hours a day anyway. "As if we know any other way. Want to go for a run in the morning?" she asked.

Draco rolled his shoulders tiredly. "Not sure I'm in the mood. Plus it's much more fun to watch you do that Zumba thing," he grinned.

"Hey, if I'm doing Zumba, so are you, so take your pick," she grinned much to his chagrin before they went their separate ways for the night.

"Night Draco," she called before her bedroom door closed without waiting for a response.

The blond just shook his head and headed for the guest room, ready to turn in himself. Despite his low point last night, there was something about Hermione's guest room that was familiar and comforting, and he soon found himself drifting off, this time unaided by whiskey.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione stirred, rolling over to hug the pillow beside her and stretching out her languid muscles. It has been a while since she slept so comfortably, able to stretch out in the soft comfort of her home, and she was grateful every day the small things that made life better. She blinked her eyes open and looked at the clock beside her. It was already 4.27am which mean that she had slept for seven hours straight, an unusual occurrence for her. There was something beautiful about early mornings, still dark but slowly becoming lighter and clearer as the sun began its ascent, the smell of dew heavy in the air. Late August was still warm with the occasional shower, autumn knocking on the door, her favourite part of the year.

She wondered what woke her up and took a deep breath, realising there was something cooking. It took her a moment to remember the previous night and the fact that Draco was staying with her. She didn't expect him to make breakfast but was pleasantly surprised as she followed her nose into the kitchen and found the blond by the stove as expected.

"Morning," she managed around a yawn and switched the kettle on to reboil before gathering her wild mane and twisting it into a messy bun, securing it with the hair tie wrapped around her wrist. She didn't bother asking whether he wanted another cup of tea, as he was usually a grumpy sod without at least two.

"Morning," Draco mumbled, looking more awake but tired, and flipped the crêpe in the pan.

He already had a small pile of them so Hermione went about setting the table with some cream, jam, lemon and sugar, peanut butter and chocolate spread to give them some variety. She sipped her tea as she leaned against the counter, looking at her cooking companion. He looked better today, a bit more rested, she could tell. She could clearly see his lean physique through the thin cotton t-shirt he wore with his boxers, a bit too lean these days. He was by no means gaunt but Hermione recognised the signs of strain, his sinewy muscles a bit more pronounced as the little bit of body fat he used to have was gone. Hopefully some rest and good food will get him back to his usual self.

Draco noticed her observation as he poured some more batter into the pan. He raised a brow to ask what she was after but she just shook her head and offered a small smile, clutching the hot cup of tea and sipping it contentedly. She was a creature of simple pleasures and comforts, as he discovered the first year they began working together. He probably got her the pyjamas she was currently wearing, he thought to himself, looking over the comfortable grey cotton shorts and long sleeve top that covered half of her hands.

Her standard Christmas gift request was books, pyjamas, tea or sweets. Or a combination of all of the above, as she liked to cheekily tell them. Blaise and Draco learned to divide and conquer, Draco taking care of the pyjamas and books, letting the Italian spoil Hermione with Gianduiotto, pralines, macarons and world teas. If she didn't have to leave her home, it was not unusual for her to spend the day in her pyjamas to keep comfortable.

It puzzled him to no end on their first intelligence mission, always used to women being presentable and dressed for guests. Astoria rarely allowed herself to be seen without cosmetic charms and appropriate attire, even with her husband. Always proper, perfectly coiffed and very much the lady of the manner. Hermione was everything his now ex-wife was not. Natural and unafraid of getting sweaty, dirty or judged by anyone, Hermione was comfortable in her own skin and accepted her human existence for what it was, imperfect but on her terms. Draco had no choice but to respect that.

"Still feel like running this morning?" he asked, looking at how tired she still was.

Hermione sipped her tea before shaking her head. "Honestly? Not really. I think I need a break now but this analysis needs to get done," she sighed, pushing a stray fringe curl behind her ear, an automatic gesture that she never realised.

"Neither am I. We should put in a pool in the basement or something when I move in," he grinned, waiting for the knut to drop.

It took her a moment, her brain however picking up the cue. "What do you mean? You will be moving in without seeing the flat?" she asked in surprise.

Draco shook his head. "Charlotte was leaving early this morning for the airport. I've been awake since three so I popped down to introduce myself and arrange a viewing when she comes back from Mallorca. She shrugged and told me to come in and have a look as she was waiting for her taxi. I've arranged a call with her to finalise some details but the property is in good shape and more than enough for me right now. And I think it would be wise to combine forces and make this house unplottable, the extra protection will be useful," he admitted.

Hermione hid her grin in her tea before looking at his again. "Colleague, friend, now a neighbour….Rita Skeeter would have a field day if she knew," she snickered.

"Oh she's already having a blast, interviewing my ex-wife I hear," he drawled, this time his voice harder, clearly hitting a sour note.

Hermione reached out and squeezed his shoulder in silent comfort before taking a seat at the table so they could have breakfast.

"What will you do? Any retaliation planned?" she asked, pulling the first, fragrant crepe on her plate to smother it in jam.

"Skeeter or Astoria?" he asked, expression blank as he tried to get his anger in check.

Hermione could see it was costing him some effort. "Both?" she asked sweetly though her grin was anything but kind.

That made Draco smile, albeit a little. "Will you be helping?" he asked instead, knowing she had some history with the obnoxious reporter.

"Let's just say I used to have something on her that prevented her from writing about me. She eliminated that threat after the war and went back to insulting everything in my life. I am ready to make her stop, as I'm sure you are too," she hummed, taking a first bite from the delicious breakfast with a hum.

"Fair enough, I'll accept your help with her. Astoria…" he thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "She deserves to be punished but not now. Her punishment will be timely, perhaps not even by my hand," he said simply and left it at that.

Hermione looked at him curiously while she chewed. Slytherins were notorious for the art of revenge and paying dues. The fact that Draco sounded like he wanted to leave it to the fates was surprising but she wasn't about to question it, especially since the topic was still so raw. "I wish we could track Skeeter's movements, it would give us an idea of her routine," she mused, changing the focus back to the reporter.

Draco nodded. "There might be a way to persuade Kings to authorise observation," he mused, watching with amusement as she took a large bite from a nutella-filled crepe with relish. "Speaking of observation, how do you want to split the rest of the evidence? Still want me to go over the logs or would they make more sense to you?" he asked.

Hermione thought about it for a moment before nodding. "That's fair enough. You take the photos. If there are any that could use some sharpening, let me know, I can try to do that on my laptop," she suggested and finished her cup of tea before sending all the dishes to wash and covering the rest of the crepes with clingfilm to preserve for later.

They settled down on different sides of her large table in the living room and spread out, the sun just coming out as they made some coffee and dug in.

* * *

"Good morning everyone," Hermione greeted the assembled team as she walked into their briefing room on Monday morning, closely followed by Draco.

She clutched her cup of tea, trying to warm her hands, and she could see most of the trainees and younger field agents were holding onto their cups like a lifeline as well. She received nods and a few responses from the group of over 20 people and thanked Draco who helped her set up the screen behind them for the briefing.

"To begin, as most of you know I've been quite absent for the past few weeks. I can now share with you that I was called away on a mission in Australia to tail someone very familiar to us," she said and flicked her wrist at the screen where four photographs from her trip came up, each showing a different disguise. "Some of you will be too young to remember, some of you will recognise this man instantly," she nodded to Annabel who was from a year below theirs at Hogwarts and recognised the man instantly just as herself.

The photographs on the screen merged and up came a clear picture of Antonin Dolohov's stubbled face. "Antonin Dolohov, age 59, salt and pepper hair and stubble are a trademark look. He is fit for his age, so whatever he is doing and whoever he is working with, he continues his training. While not one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, he lived and worked with quite a few of them to know more than enough archaic and obscure curses and incantations, so consider him deadly, always armed with at least two or three wands, and extremely difficult to capture. Merlin knows we've been trying for nearly ten years now," she emphasised as his image moved to the side of the screen before a large map appeared.

"Through my observation, I tracked Dolohov's movement to the destinations marked with a red dot. The blue square indicates his lodging, and the green dots indicate his eating and entertainment venues. Can anyone spot a pattern?" she asked, giving them a few moments to look through it.

"They are mostly tourist destinations?" Alice ventured, looking for clear patterns.

"Correct, anything else?" Hermione asked, smiling at her team, all of which clearly had all cogs turning in their wondrous minds.

"His lodgings are the epicentre and his visits are boxed in pattern. It looks as if he had a map and a list, and he cleared one zone before moving onto then next," one of the trainees piped up.

Hermione zoned in on him before looking at Blaise to indicate she wanted him trained for her department. He inclined his head in agreement before Hermione turned back to the trainee. "Correct, Mr?"

"Erik Solomons, Madam Granger," he inclined his head respectfully.

"Thank you Eric, and well done. It was difficult to spot without having the background information," she acknowledged before she drew her wand and separated the map into certain zones. "He was searching for something, but we only have minimal information as to what he was searching for as of yet. What we do know is that he is organised, utilising muggle channels to remain inconspicuous, and we know the British address on his visa, which we will need a small team to explore," she nodded to Draco who moved away from the wall where he was leaning to stand beside her.

"Which brings us to the purpose of this briefing," he took over smoothly as Hermione sipped her tea. "I know we have several smaller operations running but if we are correct, Dolohov is not working alone and this will require both Intel and Undercover work, therefore most of us in this room will be involved with this case one way or another. There are two imminent tasks, one is for my team to investigate the address in Birmingham that was provided on Dolohov's visa, and the other is data analysis related to the great volume of evidence gathered," he concluded before turning to the right side of the table. "Robyn, Darcy, Wilkins, you will report to my office in thirty minutes, the rest of you will remain on your current missions," he made the selection of two of his top operatives and one of the newer additions.

"And from our team?" Alice asked Hermione.

She offered a small smile to her colleague. "I would like you Alice, Sasha and Erik to continue the analysis," she nodded to the surprised trainee. "I am officially on holiday until the end of the week. Which means I will brief you all today, provide you a copy of the interim findings and let Alice lead your group in analysing the data further. You will also have access to the basic analysis we conducted before this meeting but it is very much that, basic. I need you to look at the photographs in particular closely and see what else we can learn to point us in the correct direction here in Britain," she explained before turning to the room at large.

"Any questions?" she asked and allowed for a beat of silence before nodding. "Thank you all, back to your stations. Those selected, to our respective offices in thirty minutes as instructed," she said by way of dismissal and picked up the folder with the notes.

"A recruit in training?" Draco asked quietly close to her shoulder, only for her ear. He wouldn't question her leadership in front of all of the team but he was surprised.

Hermione turned to look at him and shrugged. "He's sharp. I want to see how he can apply himself," she said simply and they headed to their adjoining offices.

**3rd September 2008**

Hermione closed the paperback and set it back on the shelf of Obscurus book shop with an annoyed huff. She was still waiting for the latest Neil Gaiman to come out and nothing was taking her fancy in the meantime. Maybe something on potions and poisons? It was another of her favourite fields of study, but after perusing the bookshelves there was nothing taking her fancy there either.

She was supposed to be having a restful week off after her mission, but instead as the fates would have it, her period arrived with a vengeance and she was most definitely achey and grumpy. Now she was supposed to be stocking up the kitchen and buying a dress for the upcoming ball, and instead she was in no mood for people, her headache was maddening and it began bloody raining again. Urgh… She huffed and instead paid for her writing paper before pulling the hood of her autumnal cloak over her curls to avoid getting them even more damp and frizzy.

With a quick dash she made it to Rosa Lee's teashop to pick up her French Earl Grey tea bags and chocolates, and then to the apparition point to get home. She landed by the door and cast a quick drying and cleaning charms before sensing she wasn't alone. Her wand was aimed at the intruder in a split second before she realised it was Draco on the sofa.

"How come you're home?" she asked in surprise as she hung up her coat and began unpacking her purchases, sending them to their correct place with a flick of her wand.

The blond closed the folder he was holding and rubbed his temples tiredly. "This case is giving me no rest and I couldn't focus in the office," he admitted.

"Tea?" she asked, wondering whether that would help him settle.

"Please," he nodded and watched as she had a tea tray assembled in no time, the fragrant French brand a familiar scent to him. "Did you get the chocolates as well?" he asked and saw a box fly into the living room, Hermione following with the tea.

"I was going to save them for when you move out but you're such a bloodhound, you would sniff them out anyway," she teased. Draco had a sweet tooth to rival hers and these tea flavoured chocolates were something they fought over.

"How did you even get into these?" he asked as he licked a finger clean.

Hermione shrugged. "Blame Fleur. I spent three weeks in France with her once and she spoiled me for anything else. And we had a different wine every night," she sighed at the happy memory.

Draco shook his head. "I think we will need a few bottles to get through this blasted case," he pointed at the folder.

"That can be arranged," she grinned before pouring the tea and handing him his cup. "What's the pinch point?" she asked.

Draco leaned back in the comfortable sofa cushion and stretched out his legs. "We checked out the British address from Dolohov's visa, but it was rather pointless," he explained.

"Let me guess, it's a deprived area with high crime rate, or an industrial area which doesn't have many occupants," Hermione raised an unimpressed brow.

"Correct on first guess. A place called Lozell's Road. High crime rate, drugs, gangs, prostitution, the lot," he showed her some photos from the scene.

"Of course. Very imaginative," she rolled her eyes. "Easy to slip in and out as no one usually sees anything, or alternatively they are using the local thugs to watch the property and use it for a drug den or something," she mused.

"Ten points to Gryffindor, sounds like you've done this before," he drawled with his usual level of sarcasm.

Hermione smacked his arm with the back of her hand for the cheek before sitting closer to look at the photos of the property. "This one?" she pointed to what looked like an old council house that has not been very well cared for.

"That's the beaut. As you can see it looks lifeless and empty, and it was. We cast some disillusionment charms and scanned the property. No magical wards, no magical signatures, no traps, nothing. We did look inside as well but it was nearly completely empty other than some rubbish and needles, which we suspect were a couple of muggle squatters."

"So we have nothing," she sighed, having hoped they would gain at least some information.

Draco shook his head. "Actually Robyn checked in with the West Midlands Police to see if we can get any CCTV footage from the area that could be of use to us. It is unlikely but I don't think they would think about the muggle technology when apparating, so if they visited the site, we might be able to catch a record of it," he offered.

"That's very clever," Hermione smiled as she sipped her tea. "Anything new from my department?" she asked.

Draco shook his head. "They've only been analysing for three days. A clear pattern was established of what places he visited and there are some theories floating about, but nothing concrete yet. The recruit was given your journals and apparently was so in awe that the first half day he was just reading through them and asking questions about journalling on mission. Alice was glad he was soaking it all in but then had to remind him they had to get a move on so he has been doing the analysis since. So far no leads, but I think they will manage to at least have a more detailed summary of his activities by tomorrow. There was a lot to sift through," he reminded.

"I know, I just wish we at least knew who he is working with," she ran a hand through her curls before pulling it up into a messy bun with a hair tie from her wrist.

"Could be anyone. It's been quiet lately, I don't like it," he frowned and set his cup down, this case giving him a headache.

He jumped slightly when his phone began ringing in the back pocket of his slacks and reached in to pick it up. Seeing it was Alice, he put her on speaker. "Yes, Alice?" he asked.

"We have a problem. You need to get Hermione and come in," her somber voice came through the speaker.


	5. Chapter 5

"I didn't think anything of it at first, but then I set them side by side, like this," the young Scot showed her the article in the newspaper and the photograph captured in Australia and she recognised Dolohov immediately. He used the same disguise twice, once in Australia, and once recently in London. They just got lucky.

"Well done, Sasha, excellent work," she patted him on the shoulder. "So we can confirm Dolohov isn't working alone," she concluded as they returned to the photograph in the newspaper.

It was taken at one of the Ministry functions and portrayed the moment when the Minister for Muggle relations was thanking a foreign envoy for their cooperation with the British wizarding embassy. One of the men in the envoy was definitely Dolohov in disguise, but who were the rest?

"Who is that?" Erik piped up, pointing to the man shaking the Minister's hand.

"Ivan Sokolov," Draco and Hermione said at the same time before looking at each other, Hermione nodding to Draco to proceed. "His father Pyotr was one of the original Russian wizarding business oligarchs that took advantage of the dissolution of the USSR and became a billionaire during the Yeltsin government privatisation era of 1991 to 1999. Pyotr and eight of his other oligarch buddies pretty much controlled about 70% of all Russian finances between 1996 and 2000. Pyotr died after his third heart-attack in 2000, leaving his considerable empire to his only son, Ivan. He was 21 at the time," Draco explained before summoning a file from his drawer.

"We've had a file on him just in case he expands into Britain, to track his business does not become illegal in the magical world," he opened the file and showed them some of the photographs of him shopping, traveling to meetings and entering the Savoy. "He comes to London at least three times a year, stays for a month to do some meetings, tend to affairs in both the muggle and wizarding world and then heads back to Russia. Always stays at the Savoy, has a reserved personal suite overlooking the river."

Sasha whistled, impressed. "Those easily go for two and a half grand a night. Just his stay must be coasting at least seventy grand," he mused.

Draco shrugged. "That's nothing. When you're a billionaire, there are very few things you can't afford."

"Like modesty, kindness and humility?" Alice asked sweetly, her distaste for economic inequality well known.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Focus, please," she picked up another photograph from the pack and began sticking everything on a blank wall, trying to connect the dots visually. "The fact that Dolohov was seen with Sokolov doesn't yet mean that there is a firm correlation and that they are working together. But as it stands, we need to investigate him nonetheless."

She stepped back and looked over the clues. "So what we know of Sokolov's current state of affairs is that he is 29 years old, billionaire, divorced, and a bit of a ladies' man. No children with his first wife Irena Korotkova who lives in Yekaterinburg. Regular ties and travel to Britain, associates himself with known Death Eaters," she summarised before grabbing a marker and circling some of the men in the photos with him. "One more thing that we know is that whomever he employs to be in his closest circle, meaning his PA, bodyguards and closest associates, all have families or loved ones that he can use as leverage. He is emotionally cold and is known to utilise blackmail in his business dealings and private life both. Smartly of course…" she added, writing a list of things to find out.

"How do you know all of this?" Alice asked, brows raised near to the hairline in surprise.

Hermione leaned back against the table behind her and offered a sad half-smile. "I've attended quite a few functions in the past years and our paths have crossed with his ex-wife. Irena lets things slip after several cocktails. He treated her appallingly," she sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Is he a pureblood?" Erik asked with interest, his eyes flicking to Draco. Looking at the handsome Russian in the photograph, his light brown hair and icy blue eyes, sharp features, tall and slim build….he could easily be mistaken for Malfoy's cousin. To him a lot of the rich people looked similar….

Draco shook his head. "Half blood actually. He doesn't believe in blood purity, only in money and power," he explained.

Hermione nodded. "Irena is a muggleborn, it's a well-known fact," she agreed.

"Are we sure that's not why he treated her appallingly?" Sasha pointed out.

Hermione shook her head this time. "He treated her appallingly because they had trouble conceiving an heir for his empire. And because he is the type of man who thinks mental and emotional spousal abuse is a good sport," she said simply though it was clear what she thought of that by the tightness around her pursed lips.

"So we think he is involved. What do we do next?" Erik asked, not sure what to expect for the next steps of the investigation.

Hermione handed Draco a list. "We need to figure out who the other men in this photograph are. Perhaps they might be some other escaped Death Eaters in hiding? If we can connect Dolohov to them and to Sokolov, we can understand their roles better and continue to work on what they are looking for," she proposed.

Draco nodded. "I will task my team with it. In the meantime, we need more information. Anything else you can get from the evidence Hermione gather in Australia will be useful."

Alice nodded. "We're working overtime. I will keep you both posted on new findings," she promised.

"Thank you, Alice. As Sokolov is involved, this is now a matter that could influence our international relations and political treaties, so tread carefully. We will brief you as soon as the next steps are agreed," Hermione added and nodded for them all to head off. She drafted a quick memo and sent it to Kingsley to request an immediate meeting.

Draco leaned against the table next to her, arms crossed over his chest. "Need I remind you that you should be on holiday?" he said pointedly.

Hermione raised a brow. "Need I remind you that you are not the boss of me?" she asked in amusement at his protectiveness. "Speaking of bosses," she snagged the memo that floated to them and read it with a quick nod. "He's ready for us," she flicked her wand and burned the memo before they headed through the department floo up to Kingsley's office.

The secretary was awaiting them and led them in straight away. Kingsley was waiting at his desk, looking worried and bit tired in his strapping navy suit.

"Looking dapper, Mr Minister," Hermione tried to lighten the mood. "Spent the day at Downing Street?" she asked.

Kingsley nodded. "Please tell me you are not about to add to my headache," he asked as he picked up a pain relief potion from one of his table drawers just in case.

"Oh not at all, only the entire diplomatic relationship with Russia and possible economic sanctions to one of the Euro-Asian superpowers are at stake," Draco drawled smoothly, watching the frown between Kingsley's brows deepen.

"Delightful as always, thank you for that, Mr. Malfoy. Am I to understand you have a new development involving our Russian 'comrades'?" he asked.

"Ivan Sokolov," Hermione said the name she knew would catch his interest.

And true to form, Kingsley knocked back the pain relief potion and waited a couple of seconds while it started taking effect to face them with a clearer head. "If you tell me he is involved, we will have a problem," he warned.

"We have cause to believe he is involved," Draco showed him the photographs that confirmed their findings.

Kingsley studied them for a moment before nodding with a sigh. "I can't deny that it is Dolohov standing in his entourage. What do you want me to do with this? I can't be associated in any way with a mission involving him, or we will have a war with Wizarding Russia on our hands. May I remind you that he has royal family in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and he oftentimes donates to causes in Britain?" he pointed out.

"We can do this without force," Draco proposed. "We do this through business. I propose that since he knows me and my family name, I can try to draw him to do business with Malfoy Industries, find out more about his pressure points and how he is involved with Dolohov."

Kingsley shook his head in disagreement. "The moment Dolohov hears you are trying to get close, he may have something to say about it and warn Sokolov," he pointed out. "Your family fell out of favour with Voldemort, and you didn't participate in the final battle. Your status, family name and money might be to your benefit, but your recent divorce will not be seen in an encouraging light either," he said frankly.

"I am aware of that," Draco agreed. "Which is why I would not go alone. Maybe one of the female operatives could accompany me, as there are things women talk about and information they have access to that I wouldn't otherwise know. I could remark something along the lines of divorcing my wife on grounds of infidelity and infertility," he proposed though the soreness of that point was hard to swallow. "It would correlate with Sokolov's divorce and therefore create an understanding between us."

Kingsley considered him for a moment. "Who do you have in mind?" he asked.

"What about Marie?" he suggested, the freshly trained agent with Spanish roots a plausible suggestion.

Hermione however disagreed. "She is an excellent operative, there is no doubt about that. But Maria's androgyny is difficult to overlook and it may not be best suited for a mission that may require a strong feminine touch. Not to mention she would have to be pulled from her current mission in Finland," she pointed out.

Draco considered this for moment before conceding. "Who would you suggest?"

Hermione provided another suggestion. "How about Alyson?"

Draco snorted. "With no offence to Alyson, she is 8 years my senior. As much as it is outdated, it would not be an easily believable match. Someone close to age or younger than me would be much better suited," he argued instead.

Kingsley watched their verbal play before clearing his throat to get their attention. "I appreciate it may not be practical to have both of you out of your department but have you considered doing this one together?" he proposed.

Hermione looked at Draco, thinking how that would work out. Technically it wasn't a bad suggestion. They were equals, Sokolov knew them both and he didn't mind her blood status because she was the wisest witch of her age. And they were both rich in their own stead. Power and money trumped blood status for the Russian after all.

"What about Dolohov?" she asked Draco. "Would he consider you a blood traitor to be dating a muggleborn?"

Draco thought about it for a moment. "Yes and no. He would consider it distasteful but he is a Slytherin. He will understand that after my divorce I would need to bolster the Malfoy family name and image, so dating a muggleborn, and a powerful one at that, would be just the publicity stunt. I suspect he will think I am playing nice with the good side because I have to, not because I want to," he mused.

Hermione bristled at the notion that she was a publicity stunt but rationally knew he was right. "How do we make it believable?" she asked.

"We would have to be seen publicly," he pointed out, clearly thinking along the same lines.

"We could let it slip we work together and after your divorce we decided to give into the attraction?" she suggested.

"We should definitely appear at the ball together, maybe a few outings beforehand?" Draco nodded.

Kingsley observed them, their minds clearly spinning the story in a way that made him wonder how far their symbiosis went. He knew they were both top of their field, but this would be the first mission they would actually conduct where they would have to be seen as a couple. Funnily enough, it wasn't that difficult to imagine them as a one, he mused to himself.

"I think that would be wise. Let us make your relationship established in the society and media before you approach Sokolov," he agreed. "I believe between the two you of you, we will be able to establish necessary evidence of illegal activity if we have to. However, this conversation never happened. I cannot be associated with this at all and I give you no further orders other than deal with this as sensibly and quietly as possible. If you are required to take drastic steps to neutralise the threat, do so without being traced. If you are compromised, you are on your own. No back up, no Aurors. If discovered as spies, you will be labeled a rogue unit," he said gravely. The thought of sending them both into this without any support nearly made him rethink this, but they were his best and he couldn't risk the international fall out. And if Sokolov was truly working with the rogue Death Eaters, the security risk warranted this kind of action.

"Understood," they both nodded.

Kingsley leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "From now on, you will report to me via the two way journal only, you cannot be seen in my office. Provide your update and I will be notified that it is received," he handed them the journal connected to his own. "Any questions?" he asked but seeing they had none dismissed them. "And good luck," he wished them before they left via his floo back to their department so they couldn't be traced.

Landing in their small department a moment later, they checked on their teams before convening in Draco's office with some coffee.

"Where do we begin?" Hermione asked as she sat down beside his desk into the comfortable armchair that she occupied often.

Draco handed the brunette her cup before leaning into his own chair, turning to face her. "Well, I think we should stay true to our nature. We should be seen together, maybe accidentally at first? A secret blossoming relationship? Allow for some photos to leak into the Prophet, maybe be seen out on lunch once the mandrake is out of the pot and we're all over the front page of the Prophet. And of course we have just over 2 weeks until the Mabon ball, where we should appear together," he summarised.

Hermione thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I think everyone would expect us to be careful to keep this a secret so if we appear to be accidentally spotted, that should work well. Let them speculate, get used to the idea, and then we can come out with us being an established couple, maybe do some public dates and appearances after the ball before approaching Sokolov. Maybe at the start of or mid-October?" she suggested.

Draco nodded. "It gives us time to do some observation and gather evidence," he agreed. He noticed she shifted again in her seat, the dark circles under her eyes a bit more pronounced. "Tired?" he asked.

Hermione looked up at the change of topic and nodded after a moment. "Just a bit run down is all," she waved it off.

He watched her subtly shift in the seat again and knew better. Tired, pale, uncomfortable and craving heavy carbs? This was period Hermione, he knew the signs after all these years. Making a quick decision, he sent the cups to their kitchenette and offered her a hand up from the seat. "Let's get out of here and get some take away. Tonight's on me, pick your craving," he offered.

Hermione groaned in delight. "Chinese would be perfect," she let him hoist her up and summoned her handbag.

"If Chinese is what you crave, Chinese we get. Panda House on the corner by your house?" he suggested.

Hermione hummed in delight as they headed for the department floo. "You read my mind," she agreed and stepped into the green flames on his elbow.

Blaize shook his head at the two as he packed up his kit bag. It was good to see Draco smiling once more, though his eyes still held some sadness.

"She'll get him out of the funk you know," Alice appeared by his side, rubbing her temples tiredly, ready for another long night going over the evidence.

Blaise nodded. "If she doesn't, I don't know who will," he agreed. "Night, Al," he waved to her before heading up to pick up tonight's date.


	6. Chapter 6

**13th September 2008**

Hermione sighed in frustration as she mulled over the interim report from Alice. Nada. Nothing. They had absolutely nothing. If they could at least determine what he was searching for but his movements were regular with any tourist, and all the places he visited had some part of history but none consistent with a certain era that could be tracked so far. Was he looking for an artefact? A hiding place? Was he scoping out Australia for a move? What in Merlin's saggy balls was he doing there? She was ready to tear her hair out at this point.

"Hot chocolate for Emma!" the cashier called out and Hermione realised that was the name she gave them so she went to grab her take away cup, managing a polite smile for the server before walking out.

She needed to finish her shopping as the Mabon ball was only a week away now and she still had nothing to wear. Making her way swiftly through the rainy streets of London, she slipped into the Magical London district and walked towards Twilfitt and Tatting's to find some suitable robes or dress. Madam Malkin was a fantastic utility robe shop but everyone knew that whilst a bit more upscale, this was the place to go for elegant dresses and robes for social occasions.

She was greeted by a shop assistant who helped her dry off and took her coat so she could browse before offering to carry her selection to the changing rooms. She picked a couple of elegant robes and then turned to the muggle dresses, which she was glad were now making their way into wizarding dress code. She could even see mens muggle suits on the rows, beautifully tailored and expensively branded. The assistant carried her selection and opened the doors to the changing room section where they bumped into someone else leaving.

"Oh, my apologies-Hermione," Draco looked surprised to see her there. They both went off this morning to run errands. He just came from the bank where he was finalising the transfer of payment for the new flat, and decided to get his suit for the ball. It seemed they had the same idea.

"Hello Draco, fitting for the ball?" she asked after the initial surprise, seeing how surprised the shop assistants were to see them be so civil and familiar with each other. This was a perfect opportunity to begin their plan, as they have only been out once over the past week and the reporter that they 'anonymously' tipped off lost sight of them in Muggle London. Their 'secret' date didn't event make it into the newspaper the next day. They would need to find a better way to stir the pot, and there were no bigger gossips in this world that shop assistants, florists and hairdressers, or so her mum used to say.

Draco seemed to have caught on to what she was thinking and offered a leisurely smile. "Of course. I was thinking of sitting this one out but I have been asked by the Minister to attend, so sadly I must be present," he made a show of slight irritation, though Hermione knew he was truly a bit irritated at the thought of being hounded as he was now once again one of Britain's most eligible bachelors.

"Ah, and who will be the lucky lady on your arm this year?" she asked curiously.

Draco shrugged nonchalantly. "I was thinking of going alone to be honest. What about yourself? Anyone you are matching colour schemes with?" he teased, seeing her choices were varied in cut and colour. He could see the assistants sharing an excited look. This playful interlude was surely making their day.

Hermione shook her head. "I usually go with one of my friends or colleagues but everyone is already matched up this year," she mused.

"Well then, seeing as we are colleagues and all, might as well attend together if you want?" he suggested much to the silent excitement of the shop assistants.

"Hmm not sure I can tolerate you for a whole evening," Hermione replied teasingly but then she nodded. "Oh why not, at least I'll end up going with a friend again to keep with the tradition," she offered, watching the shop assistants wilt a bit at the word 'friend'. Not for long though. "Well, now that I have someone to colour match with, want to come help me pick a dress? " she asked as they headed back to the changing rooms and shooed off the assistants, waiting a beat to hear their giggling before erecting strong privacy and silencing charms.

They took one look at each other and both burst into laughter. Hermione set her hot chocolate down and began unwrapping herself from her thick scarf. "If this isn't in the Prophet tonight, I will eat my scarf," she snorted.

"I must say this was a happy coincidence," Draco mused as he sat down and sniffed the contents of her cup before taking a sip, smacking his lips together as her lip balm transferred from the lid. Hmm, aloe vera, he didn't mind this one. Her blueberry lip butter was his favourite though.

Hermione threw the scarf at him. "If you drink all of that, I will hex you," she said before getting into the changing booth and drawing the heavy curtain.

"You might want to rethink the mint green and the yellow, by the way," he said by way of response, sipping the delicious hot chocolate anyway.

"Why would I do that?" she asked through the curtain as she took off her sweater dress, glad for the shape wear she decided to wear for the shopping trip.

"Because I am wearing midnight blue with silver details. It would contrast too harshly, as well as clash with your tan," he pointed out.

Hermione had to agree with his point and set the two dresses on the side before reaching for an elegant set of burgundy robes first. She waved her wand to help them sit and tighten where appropriate before slipping into her heels and stepping out to look into the full length mirror and see the material move. "What do you think?" she asked.

Draco watched her walk towards the mirror and shook his head. "As much as it pains the Slytherin in me to admit, burgundy suits you very well. There is something about the cut that I don't like though," he frowned. It didn't quite sit right on her slight curves.

"Agree, I don't think I have enough chest for this," she mused before getting back behind the curtain and stripping, selecting another set of robes, this time a deep sage.

She thought it would go well with her colouring but once she looked herself over in the mirror, they both shook their heads. It was nearly complimentary but just a couple of shades off for her golden Australian tan.

"I liked the cut on those," Draco mused, nearly half way through her drink now when she stepped out in an elegant soft grey dress. The voluminous tulle skirt reached the floor, and the lovely off-shoulder design enhanced her small bust, the length of her neck and curve of her toned shoulders. He could clearly see the purple scar in her decollate and the small scars peppering her back as she turned around on the spot in front of the mirror. It suited her colouring just right and the silver beading and stitching would be matching his as the joining element.

"It fits well," she said, walking over to the mirror and twirling on the spot to see the full movement of the skirt.

"I think we have a winner," Draco got up and walked over to see the fit better. "Yes, you will most certainly draw the eyes of the room," he mused.

"Aww you charmer," she batted her eyelashes at him like a Southern belle.

He snorted at the ridiculous behaviour, knowing he put his foot into it. "You know what I meant. You look beautiful," he added and picked up her hand, spinning her before leading her into a waltz. Her hand naturally settled on his shoulder as they twirled, getting used to moving in the flowing skirt and so close to her dancing companion, to make it look more natural when they have an audience.

Hermione looked up at him. "The dress is comfortable to dance in," she agreed as he spun her elegantly and released her with a bow. She curtsied and ran her hands down the material of the skirt, comparing it to the tan on her arms. She had a few freckles here and there from the sun, though the tan was masking them well. She did need a manicure before the ball though, she thought to herself, looking at her chipping thumb nail. "I agree, we have a winner," she headed back to the changing room and came back dressed in her sweater dress, scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. "Do you need anything else while we're here?" she asked.

Draco grinned. "Maybe a trip to the tea shop?" he suggested.

Hermione snorted in amusement. "You are incorrigible. Those Earl Grey chocolates will give you cavities," she teased and looked at him for a moment. "Do you think we should walk out together, be seen around Diagon Alley?" she asked.

Draco nodded as he took the dress from her hands. "I know we were going for subtle but I think we might as well use this situation, it will give credence to the testimony from the shop assistants," he agreed.

"Fair point. You owe me a hot chocolate by the way," she frowned, looking into her empty cup they took down the wards.

They paid for their purchases, put on their coats and Draco picked up the garment bags, opening the door for Hermione gallantly. She thanked the shop assistants once more before stepping through, feeling the burn of two pairs of eyes on their backs as she accepted Draco's elbow. They made their way through Diagon Alley, not looking at anyone and conversing lightly about Draco's move to the flat, all the while feeling the startled looks of the by-passers.

By the time they decided which teas to stock up on and did a couple of tastings, there were at least five paparazzi outside, taking photos and waiting for them to come out. They asked to use the shopkeeper's floo, and Rosa was only too happy to oblige her regular customers.

Once in the safety of Hermione's flat and the floo blocked, they shared a pleased look. "That went very well. I look forward to the headlines tomorrow," Draco mused as he hung up their coats and watched her put away the tea.

"Tomorrow? Five galleons says we will make the evening edition," Hermione teased.

"You're on," Draco grinned and headed for the kitchen to boil the kettle. "Do you want to try one of the teas we bought?" he called through, having his eye on the extravagant white tea he picked up.

Hermione just shook her head in amusement. "Sure! I'll just hang up our bags!" she called through before heading for her bedroom and sending Draco's suit into the guest room.

* * *

Hermione put away her swimsuit and towel before zipping up the small kitbag and heading out through the back door of the gym to the nearby apparition point. Her body felt languid and stretched in all the right ways after the solid swim in the large swimming pool and the session in the sauna attached to it. Her watch was showing it was just past five in the morning and she felt ready for the day.

Her apparition was silent as she appeared at the doormat inside her flat, trying to be quiet in case Draco was having a lie in. The smell of green tea and cherry blossom however told her otherwise.

"Time to pay up," Draco poked his head out of the kitchen doorway with a grin as she sent her kit to the washroom and hung up her jacket.

"Damn. How long is the article?" She asked, catching the rolled up paper he threw her way and opening it to the front page, knowing this would be headline material. And sure as day, four photos of their afternoon outing were staring right at her.

"Four pages," Draco rolled his eyes as he brought in the tea set, still in his pyjamas. Hermione kicked off her shoes and curled up on the sofa to have a quick skim.

**_'_ ** **_Britain's most eligible bachelor and bachelorette on a date: the true reason behind Malfoy divorce?'_ **

_Rumours began flying earlier this year that the reason behind the impending Malfoy divorce was infidelity by one or both parties. The Prophet has documented the trials and tribulations of the prominent marriage over the past years, including the unfortunate miscarriage of the couple's first and only child, and the open infidelity of Ms Greengrass, nee Lady Malfoy, following the filing of the divorce documentation._

_The events of this Saturday afternoon however made this writer wonder whether there was more to the story than we at the Prophet knew of at the time. Late yesterday afternoon Lord Malfoy was seen with Britain's most eligible bachelorette, war heroine and one third of the Golden Trio, Miss Hermione Granger._

_It is known to the Prophet that they are both employees of the Ministry of Magic, however no further information was known until last night. One of our witnesses confirmed the pair met in a robe shop on the South Side of the Diagon Alley where Lord Malfoy referred to Miss Granger as a 'colleague and friend', and assisted her with the choice of dress robes for the upcoming Ministry Mabon ball before escorting her to the Rosa Lee tea shop down the street. Numerous witnesses confirmed that they seemed very amicable, and even rather familiar with each other. Is this the beginning of a blossoming romance, or has this relationship contributed to the dissolution of the Malfoy marriage? This writer intends to find out._

_For biographies of Lord Malfoy and Miss Granger, see page 2._

_For statement from Ms Greengrass, nee Lady Malfoy, see page 3._

_For witness accounts and the reaction of Lord Potter, see page 4._

"Four pages of utter nonsense," Hermione tutted. "They only waited to publish this until the morning because they wanted a long article. And for the shock factor, of course. They would have otherwise published this as smaller news last night," she argued.

"A bet is a bet," Draco shook his head.

Hermione sighed and summoned her coin purse to hand over the prize. "I can't believe they bothered Harry for a statement," she mused and flipped to page 4, skim reading Harry's short statement about how this was surely out of context and defending her honour against the rumours of an affair. Sweet Harry, she would have to send an owl and arrange a catch up lunch with him. Speaking of lunch… "Is Blaise still coming for our Sunday brunch today?" she asked.

"As far as I know, yes. I think he had company last night, didn't reply to any of my texts," he mused as he poured out the tea for them.

Hermione shook her head. "When does he sleep?" she asked rhetorically before summoning a jumper to cover her shoulders now that her temperature managed to return to normal and she was getting a bit chilly.

Brunch was nearly ready when the flames in her fireplace turned green and Blaise stepped through, looking contented and leisurely in a worm pair of jeans and hoodie. "Morning lovebirds," he chucked his copy of the Prophet on the table with a raised brow.

Draco shrugged. "Don't believe everything you read in the newspaper," was all he said before they were joined by Hermione, various cooked and fresh dishes and jugs of fresh juice flying in, followed by coffee and tea.

"Who's hungry?" she smiled, accepting a kiss to her cheek from the Italian before they sat down.

"Honestly, I could eat a hippogriff," Blaise admitted.

Draco snorted. "Yes, yes, busy night with the secretary, we know. How was she?" he asked, seeing Hermione scrunch up her nose at such a crass question.

"He was divine," Blaise corrected and poured himself some coffee.

Draco raised a brow in surprise but Hermione didn't bat and eyelash. "Is this the same secretary you've been seeing for a few weeks now?" she asked, serving herself some scrambled eggs and reaching for the hummus.

Blaise leaned back in his seat, sipping his coffee as he tried to read her tone. "Perhaps. And he is not just a secretary. He is the executive secretary to the Ministry's Asian diplomatic division," he revealed.

"No way, you're seeing Michele Jhang?" Hermione asked, impressed.

Draco looked confused. "Who is Michele Jhang?"

Hermione chuckled. "He's a diplomat of Italian-Korean descent, currently working in London for two years to improve our relations with the Asian magical community. If I'm not mistaken, his father was instrumental during and post-Cold war, smoothing out relations between Asia and the West," she explained. "And he is very handsome from what I recall," she teased.

"Who, Michele or his father?" Draco snickered and dodged the grape she threw at him with lightning-fast reflexes.

"Both, for your information," Hermione shrugged and looked at Blaise who looked mostly composed but she could tell he was observing their reactions closely. It wasn't common knowledge outside his close group of friends that he had no care for the gender of his partners, but he had never before actually dated a man for a length of time. "So, when are we going on a 'double date'?" she grinned.

Blaise smiled before looking at Draco who shrugged. "Don't look at me, I can't even pretend I wear the trousers in this relationship," he pointed between himself and Hermione playfully, referring to the article. "Either way, he will have to be approved by us. Can't have you dating a hoodlum," he teased.

"Oh poppycock, Michele is hardly a hoodlum," Hermione pointed out.

Blaise snickered. "Did you just say poppycock? What are you, sixty?"

"I am glad to see you are both participating in the national 'Mock the bookworm' day," Hermione deadpanned before cutting her bread roll in half and passing one half to Draco who was just reaching for the butter as well to share between them.

"So will you be taking Michele to the ball next week?" Draco asked, wondering whether they would make it public knowledge.

Blaise nodded. "We will make an appearance together. I have the permission from the diplomatic forces. It will 'signify the unity between East and West further,'" he quoted with an eye-roll.

"Of course, anything to make themselves look better," Hermione mused, all of them familiar with the Ministry tactics by now. "Then I suggest a mid-week lunch or dinner, the four of us. We can meet him and hopefully it will make him more comfortable around us," she proposed, wanting to make sure they didn't all look awkward at the ball, as first meetings sometimes were.

Blaise inclined his head in silent thanks. "I'll send him a scroll to see if he can clear up his schedule for a couple of hours," he promised.

"I look forward to meeting him properly," Hermione offered a smile before reaching for some grapes. She noticed several owls flying for their window and her smile extended to a grin. Howlers, and quite a few of them. Phase one of their plan was truly in full swing, so she dug into her breakfast with gusto.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thursday 18th September 2008**

"…and we finally catalogued all the photographs to find out whether there was anything specific in his notes or reading materials that we could consider indicative of his mission's purpose," Alice explained to Hermione in their second briefing this week. "Here is the list of books, maps and references that we could read by enlarging and sharpening on the computer," she handed over the parchment and watched her boss scroll through it.

Hermione frowned. "Any patters yet?" she asked.

Alice nodded. "One. He had three books about blacksmithing and jewellery making, which could coincide with several of the historical exhibitions that he went to see."

Hermione nodded, thinking fast. "So our predictions that he is looking for an artefact were correct. Based on his research materials, it would be some sort of tool or a piece of jewellery… Wait," she sat up and looked through some of the brochures she picked up in the various museums while she trailed him. "This is the first one he went to. I remember this, as I wanted to stay longer but he was already leaving," she pulled out a lovely little brochure about a visiting exhibition of medieval robes and jewellery, on loan from the British museum. "And this," she picked up a pen and underlined several entries, "all host information on medieval Britain. And this," she pointed to one of the titles, "Is something I have at home as well. 'Le Morte d'Arthur: King Arthur & The Knights of The Round Table' by Sir Thomas Malory is an absolute classic, a very colourful interpretation of the Arthurian legends, so dark ages and medieval. Let's look at the map again, have you numbered his locations?" she asked.

Alice brought the slide up on her laptop and they looked at the brochures that accompanied them. "We thought he started in the one that housed the most medieval items and progressed to locations that has some ties to the era, such as patron saint references or other exhibitions," she explained.

Hermione nodded. "He started at the richest source and progressed from there. There are a lot of rich ex-pats living there and in New Zealand, with private collections and other sources. He did visit three private dinners that I struggled to get access to," she noted.

"We researched all of those and have a list. You are correct, most of them are British ex-pats who made their wealth in the thick of the Cold War era. We could get more information on their private collections but that would require direct access," Alice pointed out.

Hermione shook her head. "It's not necessary. I am confident that he didn't find what he was looking for. The search continues and as long as it does, we can track him and anyone else he is working with. If we can get closer to Sokolov, we may yet uncover what they are really after," she wrote a few notes into her notebook before smiling at Alice. "Well done, great effort," she praised.

Alice shook her head. "We should have had more," she tutted, this mission frustrating her to no end.

"You worry too much, we can only work with what we have. Let's keep everything for reference for now and we will continue to track Dolohov and Sokolov to see if we can get an idea of what they are seeking," she promised before they headed for the small kitchenette to get a cup of tea.

They were however intercepted by one of the trainees who jogged up to them. "Madame Granger, your presence is requested in briefing room 3," he informed her.

"I'll catch you later, Al," she promised her colleague before following the recruit to the meeting room where he opened the door for her to go in and remained just outside if he was needed. Inside the small room was Draco and his team of four agents, the walls covered with photos and profiles of several men.

She turned on the spot in a full circle to take it all in before nodding. "Good, we have information on all of them," she surmised.

Draco poured her a cup of tea and motioned her over to his side of the room. "We do, and two more that have been spotted by Robyn earlier. He took some photos that we could use for our database but also muggle Interpol. We managed to identify two of the men through our muggle networks, and three thanks to our database of previously used disguises," he explained. Starting at the right hand side, he pointed at each photo and named their new targets. "Augustus Rockwood, Robin Jugson, Alistair Mulciber Junior, Arseni Malinin and Zoran Ulyanov," he introduced them.

Hermione nodded as she sipped her tea. "So to summarise, we have a group of ex-Death Eater and two SVR agents working together with a prominent Russian oligarch to find a medieval artefact. Why?" she asked, trying to figure this mess out. "I mean I am not surprised to see Rockwood, Jugson or Mulciber on the list. I know Harry insists on keeping them on his top twenty most wanted list since they escaped imprisonment after the war. We all knew they would resurface in one way or another. What do you think the hierarchy looks like?" she mused.

Draco sighed tiredly and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall beside her. "We don't know just yet. My bet is that Dolohov was the one to guide the other three to working with Sokolov. He's always been incredibly enterprising, and the others would trust his connection. But they are most definitely third tier. I do think that Ulyanov and Malinin are the second tier, right under Sokolov at the head. Ulyanov served with Sokolov during the compulsory army training and they have been intermittently seen together since. My good guess would be that he is one of his key protectors or leads his security. The man is a bloody gorilla, look at him," he pointed to the photo of his face and the full body shot. The man was practically the size of a bear and lacked very much in the neck department, his shoulders so wide. "And Malinin worked as part of some of the most classified missions for magical division of the SVR. Trying to find anything on this guy is taking us an age, but he is probably the most trained out of them all," he sighed with a frown.

Hermione leaned her head against his shoulder in silent comfort. "We'll figure them out. Let's confirm the hierarchy and put a trail on every one of them if we can. They can't know we are observing them just yet. And in the meantime, we will continue to research what it is they are actually after," she sighed.

Draco, aware of the four well-trained pairs of eyes that were pretending not to be observing them wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close to his side. They were in their own department so far haven't had a mole, but it would do no harm to be consistent. "A medieval artefact did you say?" he queried. "Could be anything. And even if it looks mundane, it could be cursed or enchanted… Anything more concrete?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Not yet. I will go over all the findings once more to see if we can focus our research more clearly. Right now we are betting on jewellery but there were some sources around blacksmithing as well so could be genuinely anything in that sphere like tools, armour, you name it. That's the best we can do for now," she sighed.

Draco nodded, looking at the material they managed to collate so far. "We also heard back about the CCTV footage. No luck sadly, didn't catch any magical activity at all, only the squatters entering the house as we suspected," he added.

Hermione frowned. Every time they thought to be getting something more concrete, they struggled to do so. She was beginning to think this case was more complex than they originally anticipated. "Good work everyone," she praised nonetheless and finished her cuppa before turning back to Draco. "I'm heading home to make some calls and find out whether we can get a more expert opinion on what he could have been looking for. If you need anything, I'll have my phone on me," she offered.

Draco nodded and walked with her to see her out of the room. "I'll bring dinner. How about some Chinese?"

"I'm in. Catch you later," she accepted a kiss to the cheek, knowing they were still being watched.

She promised Alice to come by for brunch the next day as they were both working from home, and headed up to the Auror department, knowing very well the Head Auror would be in his office. The department, while starting to push for better recruitment of women, was still a predominantly male environment and she could feel quite a few eyes following her swell figure in the tight pencil skirt. Harry rarely closed his door so she stood in the doorframe and knocked gently, smiling at the slightly messy office.

Now in his late twenties, Harry looked a bit more mature and contented with life, but his hair remained a delightful riot and a few laugh lines were now permanently etched into the area around his eyes. She was glad to see her once angry and haggard best friend settled into a happy marriage and the work he loved. After the war the golden trio very much took different paths but her friendship with Harry remained a constant, despite the fact that they weren't quite so close anymore.

He looked up and smiled, genuinely pleased to see her. "Hermione, come on in, it's been a while," he invited and she stepped in, closing the door behind her to give them some privacy. Harry automatically waved his hand at the door and privacy charms fell into place tightly, knowing her visits were rarely a social call.

"Sorry to not have written, I was away for a few weeks and only recently got back," she accepted a quick bear hug before sitting down in the plush chair across from him.

"Hmmmm and instead of having lunch with me, you go out on a date with the ferret. I am hurt," Harry's eyes twinkled with humour as he pretended to be stricken by her betrayal. It wasn't that he didn't get along with Draco these days, but the two continued their playful rivalry and of course Harry remained 'scar-head' while Draco couldn't shake off the 'ferret' insult if he tried. They used to make her exasperated but knowing they were now decent friends as well, Hermione couldn't complain about the playful jibes.

Hermione raised an amused brow. "You should be the first to know that you shouldn't believe everything you read in the Prophet," she pointed out though didn't elaborate.

"Are you telling me you don't actually fancy Malfoy?" he asked pointedly, having had his suspicions about how well those two worked together for a while. He even had a bet going with Ginny on whether they would get together.

Hermione shook her head. "I think he's great. He is also my colleague, and one of my best friends. Stop digging, we're on mission," she explained without actually explaining, giving him enough of an explanation without compromising them.

"As a couple? My-my, Kings really does have a sense of humour…." Harry hummed to himself as he leaned back in his chair. "You also didn't answer my question," he pointed out with a grin.

"Is being annoying a pre-requisite for being the Head-Auror?" she crossed her arms somewhat defensively.

"No, but it is a very distinct Potter trait I am told," Harry grinned but didn't push. He knew the time would come when those two got together. Afterall, not that he cared much about money but a 50 galleon bet was a 50 galleon bet…

"Ha-ha, you are making my sides split," Hermione deadpanned and handed over a small parcel. "Gifts from Australia. There are a couple of bits for both of you, and for James and Albus. How is Ginny doing?" she asked, knowing her best fiend was nearly done with the fourth trimester and getting into a routine with little Albus.

Harry smiled fondly at the thought of his wife. "We're both adjusting well. We thought one was a lot of work. Two is a whole new experience. But he's a very quiet baby, sometimes he even gives Ginny a scare with how quiet he is…" he mused.

Hermione could clearly see he was tired but his eyes were fond and shone with happiness when he mentioned his family. "I will come visit soon to visit," she promised.

"Maybe a Sunday brunch after the ball this weekend?" he proposed.

Hermione however shook her head. "I might have some fallout to deal with on Sunday," she explained vaguely. "Next week?" she suggested instead.

Harry's gaze narrowed on her. "You will be at the ball with him, won't you?" the cheeky grin returned, seeing right through her.

Hermione shrugged as she got up. "Perhaps, I guess you shall have to wait and see. Next week?" she repeated.

Harry nodded. "I'll let Gin know," he promised. "Take care, will you?" he asked as she was leaving.

"Don't I always?" she asked with a smile before heading out of his office. She had phone calls to make and planning to do for the ball before Draco joined her with food. This weekend was going to try them both in ways they need to be ready for…


	8. Chapter 8

**Saturday 20th September 2008**

Hermione took a deep breath and waved her wand in a smooth, slow motion as the fabric slid across her skin and tightened in all the right places. The skirt fell neatly around her legs but she cast some gentle steaming charms to make sure the tulle was at its best. Once dressed she stepped in front of the full length mirror attached to her walk in wardrobe and twirled on the spot. Her hair was pulled into an elegant up-do, a few shorter curls left to hang loose to give it movement. Her make up charms were decent after all these years, she only enhanced her eyes with a bit of mascara and added a hint of coral lipstick to make her lips more inviting. She felt quite beautiful in the luxurious fabric and despite the fact that it was part of a mission, Draco was a great dancer and she did look forward to waltzing away part of the night.

Her smile briefly turned melancholy at the memory of her dad teaching her to waltz when she was eight and then properly when she was thirteen. Her parents dancing in their living room during Christmas was one of her most treasured memories. Who knows, perhaps she would get to dance in her living room with a partner of her own one day…

A gentle knock on the door disrupted her thoughts as she opened it and smiled at Draco, dressed in his own elegant suit. "Looking very dapper," she reached up to adjust his bowtie slightly.

"Looking beautiful yourself," he acknowledged as she slipped into her silver heels and picked up a small clutch bag with her invitation.

"Thank you, though I do have a dilemma," she pointed to her chest where the puckered scar was clearly visible. "I don't usually mind them, we all have our fair share. But do you think I should hide them tonight? I mean imagine Dolohov sees the pictures. Would he delight in seeing his handiwork or would he wish to see me ashamed and hiding it?" she asked, yet undecided about the best approach to play along with the man's psychology.

Draco looked at the scar and the other small scars visible on her shoulders and nodded. "He would love to see his handiwork, without a doubt. And since you usually display them, it would be out of character for you to hide them. Someone might pick up on that," he pointed out before realising something else. "And Sokolov would find it interesting to say the least," he added after a moment. He knew the type, Sokolov would probably find Hermione quite intriguing. The thought made protectiveness flare up within his chest. It wasn't that he doubted her capability, far from it. Hermione could more than take care of herself, but the feeling has been there since they started working closely together and he knew when to listen it.

Hermione nodded. "Okay, the scars stay then. Are we ready?" she asked, hoping they would get through tonight alright and lay some groundwork for their contact with Sokolov.

Draco offered her his elbow gallantly and apparated them both to the access lobby that was set up for greeting guests. An assistant asked if they had any cloaks and to write their names on the list to make sure they are announced correctly upon entry to the grand hall.

"I hate this part," Hermione sighed as they joined the line of other couples waiting to be announced by the door.

"You and me both. Though I do look forward to the champagne. They always go all out," he mused with a bratty grin that had her elbowing him in the side playfully.

"You are spoiled rotten," she tutted as they stepped up to the usher.

"Lord Draco Malfoy and Madame Hermione Granger," he announced briskly and rather loudly as they moved forward into the hall, their steps synchronised with grace unpracticed.

The buzz in the room picked up volume for a few moments as most of the gathered turned to stare at them during their entry. They however both kept a polite, neutral smile on their faces until Hermione spotted Blaise and Michelle and stirred them their way.

"You two sure know how to make an entrance, cara," Blaise chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "You look splendid," he complimented.

"If we're going to be roasted by the wizarding populi, might as well look fabulous and have a good time while doing it," she grinned and turned to Michele with a warm smile. "Michele, lovely to see you again. You both look very handsome," she complimented as the young ambassador greeted her with a kiss to the cheek as well.

"Thank you, we had a great time meeting you for lunch. I was looking forward to seeing you again today," he offered smoothly, his words holding a slight accent that most would miss.

They made a fine couple, Blaise and Michele. Both dressed in complimenting shades of grey, young, handsome, and influential, they were quite formidable compared to most of the event's attendees. Draco picked up a couple of champagne glasses for them from a passing tray and handed Hermione the rose one, knowing she had a preference for the sweeter taste. She thanked him with a grateful smile as the last of the attendees were announced and the Kingsley stepped on the stage in a set of sharp periwinkle robes.

Hermione leaned against Draco's side comfortably and felt him wrap an arm around her waist securely as they listened to the Prime Minister's speech and raised their glasses in a toast to the festivities. "Next time I see him, I'll tell Kings you though the blue was definitely his colour," she teased.

Draco's fingers tightened on her waist momentarily at the teasing. "I'd rather you didn't. Cheeky bastard knows it already anyway," he mumbled quietly enough only for her to hear it, causing laughter to bubble up in her throat.

Camera flash went off somewhere nearby as she laughed at Draco's pleased grin. There, photo already taken and surely they would once again be front page news tomorrow, half the job done. They took a moment to mingle with some of their DMLE colleagues as they both discretely looked around the room. Sokolov's figure was unmistakeable, halfway between the bar and the way to the bathrooms. Hermione spotted his companion, a young tall blonde with sharp slavic features and hair that cascaded nearly past her hips, typical of the Siberian region. Pavlina Vitalievna, Russian model and budding actress. Hermione thought best to research her before this evening and was stunned to learn that they were nearly the same age yet the beautiful blonde looked not a day past twenty. Despite the glamour of her position, Pavlina was an ambassador for several charities centred on environmental preservation, animal and creature rights, as well as an ambassador for Unicef. It made Hermione wonder what she was doing with someone like Sokolov, but the relationship was fairly young so she guessed he was yet to show his true colours.

Noticing Pavlina heading for the bathrooms, she politely excused herself and headed there too, checking she had what she would need in her clutch, ready to set her plan in motion. The bathroom was near empty as the music was picking up and couples were beginning to dance in between snatching canapés from passing trays. Only one stall was occupied so she knew it must be Pavlina. She turned the tap on and took a deep breath before sighed loudly.

She took off her cherished ring, a simple thin gold band with a three small pearls set in and made it gently clink against the sink before swearing just loud enough. "Oh no," she sighed and switched the water off, putting her ring safely away into her clutch just before the loo flushed and Pavlina walked towards her to wash her hands.

"Oh what have I done," Hermione asked at herself as she caressed her finger where the indent from her regularly worn ring was clear to see.

"Are you alright?" Pavlina asked kindly in her accented English.

Hermione sighed and looked at the woman beside her with remorse set in her features. "Yes, I just lost my favourite ring. How stupid of me, I was washing my hands and it slipped off before I could catch it. And you know these magical pipes, can't summon anything from within," she dried her hands, looking a little morose.

"I am sure the maintenance team can try to fetch it for you tomorrow?" Pavlina suggested as she washed her own hands.

Hermione nodded. "I'm afraid that is my only option," she adjusted her lipstick before looking at the woman next to her with a small, self-conscious smile. "Forgive me, I'm not usually so dramatic," she promised, seeing the blonde warming up to her a bit.

"No need to apologise, I understand. I would be distressed if I lost this one," she motioned at a lovely gold band with a single garnet in it. "My mother gave it to me, it is the only thing I have left of her," she admitted, appearing lost in memory for a moment as she caressed the ring.

Hermione nodded in understanding, actually feeling true remorse for the woman in this instance. "I know the feeling too well. The ring I lost tonight was my mum's first engagement ring, also all I have left of her," she sighed, admitting the truth. Thankfully it was safe and sound in her clutch, she couldn't bear to lose it.

Pavlina nodded and straightened up a bit before adjusting the strap on her dress. "I am Pavlina by the way," she introduced herself as they headed for the door.

"Pleased to meet you Pavlina, and thanks for putting up with me in there. I'm Hermione," she introduced herself in kind.

Pavlina looked at her excitedly. "THE Hermione? Hermione Granger?" she asked to confirm.

"Oh, yes, the same. You've heard of me?" Hermione said, honestly a bit startled that the young woman knew of her.

Pavlina smiled widely. "I read your article on magical creature care and responsible harvesting of potions ingredients from creatures. It was revolutionary! You are a true campaigner, niet?" she asked excitedly.

Hermione chuckled, actually growing quite fond of the young woman. "Oh well, yes, I try to do my bit to bring about change," she said modestly. "You take interest in magical creature rights?" she asked and off they went, picking up a couple of canapés and some champagne while they talked for several long minutes.

"Oh you are so nice to meet! I must introduce you to my partner, he is a great campaigner for sustainability as well," Pavlina reached forward and took Hermione's hand, leading her towards the Russian envoy. Hermione chuckled at her excitement and tried not to show her anticipation as she was led towards their target.

Pavlina led her to the man who was standing with his two bodyguards and slipped her petite hand into the crook of his elbow to get his attention. "Ivanushka, I must introduce you to my new friend. Hermione Granger, this is my partner, Ivan Sokolov. Ivan, meet Hermione," she introduced them briefly.

Sokolov was very much in the same league as Draco with his presence and air of importance. Sharp navy suit that enhanced the colour of his eyes, light brown hair neatly trimmed and gelled, not a strand out of place. He looked the perfect companion to the beautiful model, the pair of them fitting together neatly. His icy gaze pierced through her as she offered a small smile in greeting. "I believe we have already met. Madame Granger, it is good to see you again," he picked up her hand and placed a feather-light kiss to her knuckles. His smile was almost warm, but Hermione could see it barely reached his eyes.

"And you, Mr. Sokolov," she replied in kind, seeing the joy in Pavlina's face at their acquaintance.

"We were just discussing sustainable harvesting of raw materials and its environmental impact so I thought to introduce you as Ivan is currently lobbying for policy changes in Russia to reflect the western ones," Pavlina explained.

"Is that so?" Hermione asked, not even having to feign curiosity as she was generally interested in his activity in this sphere. "Would I be wrong to assume you must be finding it quite difficult, especially with the remnants of the old regime still making changes unlikely to be successful?" she observed.

Sokolov nodded, clearly amused by her words. "You are very much correct, Madame. Tovarishch Putin might be currently serving as Prime Minister instead of president, but Medvedev is very much a puppet in his grasp and the political red tape remains the same. I have a growing concern for the impact of oil extraction in Siberia," he explained.

And she bet his concern was of the monetary type rather than any altruistic reason as Pavlina seemed to perceive it.

"Ah, there you are, love," they were interrupted by Draco's smooth baritone as an arm slid around her waist in greeting, fingers briefly squeezing her side. Perfect.

She turned to him with a startled smile, as if just remembering he wasn't introduced to their companions. "Oh Draco darling, I'm sorry for disappearing on you," she replied with feigned chagrin as she reached up to hold onto his bicep to mirror the couple across from them. "I got talking to Pavlina and Ivan and forgot myself. Pavlina, Ivan, may I introduce my partner, Lord Draco Mafloy. Draco, these are Pavlina Vitalievna and Ivan Sokolov from the Russian envoy," she offered and watched as Draco kissed Pavlina's knuckles and shook Sokolov's hand.

"I believe we were introduced once, a fundraiser perhaps," Draco inclined his head to the man before him.

Sokolov nodded, his gaze momentarily flicking between the two of them. "Yes, I believe so," he nodded. "Remind me which industry do you specialise in, Lord Malfoy?" he asked.

"Malfoy Industries have several branches including electronics and engineering, architecture, as well as alchemy and research into sustainable construction materials. We believe in working with the best of both worlds so our work is suitable for both magical and muggle enterprise," he explained smoothly.

Sokolov nodded after a moment and reached into the inner pocket of his blazer, retrieving a card with his direct contact details. "Perhaps we should talk while I am still in London. Have your secretary set up a convenient time. I would like to discuss your research. I have an upcoming construction project that could benefit from it," he indicated as Draco pocketed the card.

Hermione exchanged a look with Pavlina and offered a conspiratorial smile. "What do you think, will we get a chance to dance at all or will they be all business?" she asked the lovely young woman.

Pavlina looked between the two men as if seriously contemplating the question. "I don't know, they seem very serious. Perhaps we should just go dance together," she grinned.

Draco chuckled. "Well, that is us told, our deepest apologies ladies," he turned to offer Hermione his hand. "May I have this dance, madame?" he smiled at her charmingly.

Hermione took the proffered hand with a tsk. "About time I say," she teased. "Do excuse us, but we are utterly incorrigible and this is my favourite song. Have a good evening," Hermione offered to the couple, and after receiving well-wishes from them as well they headed for the dance floor. She could feel Sokolov's gaze on her back all the way there before they blended in with the other couples.

She wasn't lying when she said this was her favourite song, as Etta James' 'At last' soft tune lend itself to a close and slow sway as Draco spun her elegantly into his body. For some reason he couldn't help himself but pull her close into his arms, his hand resting at the bottom of her spine, nearly on the curve of her bottom in a somewhat proprietary manner. He felt her hand resting on his shoulder blade and fingers briefly squeeze his hand. Fuck, she had been brilliant. They didn't discuss a plan, they only knew that if the opportunity presented, she would go after Pavlina or he would approach Sokolov somehow indirectly by the end of the evening. When she excused herself earlier and headed for the bathroom, he wasn't sure what her plan was but she provided him a perfect opening for a natural introduction to their target. All he had to do was roll with it and take the chance.

This right here was why they were not only the best in their field but also a seamless team. He knew they could nail that bastard if he proved to be the ring leader. A small voice in his head decided to take that moment to pipe up however. _At what cost?_ _He wants her, the way he looks at her wants to claim…_ He felt his jaw grind briefly at the thought and his hand momentarily flexed on her lower back.

Hermione kept the soft smile on her face as she breathed in his familiar scent, cedar wood with a hint of vanilla and the fresh soap of his shaving cream. She knew it was all for show, and yet she couldn't help but think how well they fit together, how natural they were in their closeness, how the slightly raised beat of his heart matched hers through the thin fabric that separated their chests.

This part of her she kept on a very tight leash and buried for many years. By the time she began feeling this attraction for the blond, he was already engaged to be married and her good friend. She never wanted to ruin the close friendship between them by doing something stupid, and it did become easier over the years. She missed her window of opportunity and a married man was absolutely off limits for her, so as long as Draco was happy, she was too, and slowly she accepted that one day she will meet someone brilliant in work, or she would switch profession and do something more leisurely that didn't make a relationship a liability. It wasn't exactly encouraged but quite a few of their colleagues were married to someone from the DMLE or the diplomatic services. She couldn't even begin contemplating what it would be like to be dating a regular person not involved in the politics and secrecy, someone who didn't understand what their world was like. That's why Blaise and Michele worked, no matter what the Italian said about not being too serious just yet, she could see the mutual understanding between them.

So she decided her life was busy enough with work and had a couple of flings here and there to scratch the itch and feel a bit of human warmth, but knew that she wouldn't be emotionally available for anything else. Until Draco wasn't happy any more. When Astoria lost their baby, he was inconsolable and Hermione's heart broke for that hopeful, joyful part of her friend that became broken. She was there through it all, and watched as Astoria used him, but still denied herself the thought that she would never treat him like his wife had.

The thought of being there for him as his best friend was however not holding up as well lately. This mission started out as something she knew they would be well-matched to do together, and hoped that since her feelings were no longer so strong, she could do this without ending up hurt. But here they were, surrounded by a hundred other guests and she could nonetheless feel like it was just the two of them in the room when he held her like she belonged in his arms every single day.

_We would be a perfect match. We could make it work, we are friends, now neighbours, we know each other, we trust each other. And he is now divorced, single and once again available…_

That thought was seductive and she quickly tried to silence it as much as she could. Most of that may be true but Draco was no more available to her now than when he was married. They were friends first and foremost and she couldn't risk losing this part of them. They were on a mission, she couldn't afford to jeopardise them just because she was stupid and desired the forbidden fruit. Maybe it was time to consider whether this should be her last mission. She could maybe join he diplomatic forces instead, help Kingsley at the Ministry in a different capacity…put a bit of healthy distance between them.

Still feeling conflicted, she leaned forward slightly and rested her cheek against Draco's chest, a gesture of intimacy to the outside world but a socially acceptable reason for her to close her eyes and not let anyone see the war raging inside her.

Draco leaned down as if to drop a gentle kiss to the top of her head but spoke to her softly insyead. "Are you alright?" he checked in.

"Of course," she replied as if talking about the weather, hoping to be reassuring but only making him suppress a frown at her casual tone. "Just a bit hungry to be honest, these canapés let me down," she tried again, hoping it would make him at least smile and take away attention from her.

Draco chuckled softly into her hair. "Of course you are. Want to order in some Thai when we get in?" he suggested.

Hermione lifted her head and offered a smile in return, though it wasn't as vibrant as earlier in the evening. "I could go for some coconut rice and curry," she agreed and pulled away gently but with intention as the music stopped and she turned to clap politely for the band.

Draco sensed something shifted but for the world of him couldn't figure out what it was. Was she scared of Sokolov? Did she have doubts about their performance? "Perhaps one more dance and then we can leave?" he suggested.

Hermione however gently pulled him to the edge of the dance floor instead, no longer in the mood. "How about you grab our cloaks while I speak to Harry briefly? I'll join you out in the hall," she suggested instead to give herself a moment.

He acquiesced and she quickly said her goodbyes, promising to catch up later before slipping out quietly. Draco was already waiting for her and she could see he appeared quite relaxed, which as she knew him meant they were being watched. "Sorry darling, was just saying our goodbyes," she offered for show as he smiled and wrapped the cloak around her shoulders.

"Looking forward to getting home?" he asked as they walked toward the apparition point, her hand once again slipping into the crook of his elbow.

"Yes, I am still quite tired from this week. Maybe we can have a lie in tomorrow?" she suggested as they finally reached the spot and she apparated them seamlessly into her flat.

The moment they landed she pulled away under the guise of taking off the cloak and her heels. "Well, that went well," she commented, leaning on the back of the sofa for support as she balanced on one foot, undoing the strap of her sandal heel. "Who was watching us as we left?" she asked and froze momentarily when Draco squatted down before her.

His nimble fingers had the strap undone in moments before he reached for the other foot to undo that one as well and helped her step out of them steadily. "I'm not sure but my bet is one of his bodyguards. I didn't see the person, just a ripple of a concealment charm so I thought best to make it look casual," he explained as he straightened up again.

"Good call. I think we did well tonight," she observed and picked up her heels by the straps.

Draco nodded and loosened up the constricting neck tie. "That was a very natural introduction, I think they suspect nothing so far but are keeping a watch for the moment to be on the safe side. I'll arrange a meeting with Sokolov in about two weeks' time to not seem too eager and take it from there," he suggested. "Right, let's get out of these and order in?" he suggested, noticing it was only nearing eleven.

Hermione nodded and turned around, heading for her room. "Can't wait to get out of this shaping underwear," she mutters as if to herself and heard him chuckle behind her as he headed for the guest room. Once her door was closed safely behind her, she leaned against it and took a deep breath. For a moment, her mind flashed to an alternative ending to the evening where they landed in her living room and he picked her up, carrying her chuckling form into one of the bedrooms to peel the dress off her with his own hands to get to her skin, but she shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. She quickly changed into a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt while she contemplated her options. She would have that lie in and then expend some energy, alone or with some willing help that was most certainly not six foot tall and blond. No, absolutely not, she told herself as she headed back to the living room to get some food before they both crashed after the long day. Too bad she knew who her dreams would feature that night.


	9. Chapter 9

**28th September 2008**

"This is not how I imagined my Sunday going," Blaise grumbled, levitating the last of the paintings into the spacious sitting room and wrinkling his nose at the amount of dust on some of the cloths. "You owe me lunch," he near pouted at the brunette who sat down tiredly on the sofa.

"I owe you brunch? It's not like you just hauled my junk around," she flipped him off and summoned a glass to get some water in her system.

"Kindly refrain from calling my belongings junk," Draco leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, his blond fringe stubbornly falling into his eyes. Not that Hermione noticed that…

"I am starving though," she agreed with Blaise. No wonder, it was just past noon and she only had a small pot of yoghurt and some grapes for breakfast. "Take fifteen to clean up and head out?" she suggested.

Blaise nodded. "Is it safe for all of us to go out together though?" he asked. "What about the media?" he pointed out.

Ah yes, the Daily Prophet was making a tidy profit off stories about their relationship. No one needed to know that Hermione cut out the two photos from the ball that made it to the front page the day after the celebrations. One was of her laughing while Draco teased her after they joined Blaise and Michele who were grinning at the two of them. She thought it captured the moment well. The other one was of their dance, as she rested her cheek against his chest. That wasn't what made her cut the photo out. The camera captured a moment when Draco's eyes nearly fluttered shut as he leaned down to whisper to her. She knew it was all for show but it looked real, and despite the moment being sweet-bitter, she wanted to remember it. So into her little shoebox of memories and mementos it went. From that day on, they were stalked by photographers nearly daily and it was getting a bit old to be honest.

Draco grinned. "I know just the place," he said decisively. "Meet back here in fifteen, I have to arrange my wardrobe and we can all freshen up. Something smart," he suggested before disappearing into his new bedroom.

Hermione shrugged when Blaise looked at her questioningly, not like she knew what the blond had planned. So she headed up to her flat and grabbed a quick five-minute shower before pulling her hair up into a slightly messy bun and looking over her options. She settled on a simple navy long-sleeve dress that brushed her knees and her heeled ankle boots, hoping it would be suitable. If she got photographed, at least she would look semi-decent.

They met back in Draco's flat, both men dressed simply but well in suits, no ties in sight as they let the top two buttons undone casually. "Michele can't join us?" she asked Blaise who was strapping his new watch onto his wrist.

"He's getting ready for an afternoon tea with the Indian envoy. I don't know who's more excited," he deadpanned but was clearly missing his beau.

Hermione let him help her into her cardigan before looping their elbows together. "I'm sorry he couldn't join us, but more of you for us," she smiled as Draco came towards them.

"Careful dear, try not to appear too intimate or they will be writing about us having a threesome next," he grinned, clearly finding the media attention hilarious.

"Makes for far better reading than the 'WWHGW: What Would Hermione Granger Wear?' section of Witch Weekly…." she rolled her eyes and as they sniggered in amusement and Draco apparated them away.

They landed in a small alleyway and Draco led them for a short walk until they appeared in front of what looked like a luxurious hotel.

"Are we in Knightsbridge?" Hermione looked around, recognising some of the streets.

Blaise slipped on his sunglasses as they walked, the unusually warm autumnal sun bright this afternoon. "We are, and if I'm correct, we should have brought our swimming costumes," he mused as they neared their destination.

Hermione finally realised what she was seeing and looked at Draco with a raised brow. "The Lanesborough? Please tell me we're not about to become Alice and Bill," she grinned when Draco only looked confused at the _Eyes Wide Shut_ reference, but Blaise grinned mischievously.

"Don't worry, no orgies for us, just lunch at the Celeste," he promised.

Draco led the way up the front hotel stairs, trying not to think about the words 'orgy' and 'Hermione' in the same sentence as it made his mind wander to places that were perhaps best not poked awake. Despite the amount of time they were spending together to infiltrate Sokolov's circle and find out what artefact it was they were looking for, she remained both present and distant. Ever since the ball, something changed between them and he couldn't quite put a finger on it. She was there, she was still his good friend, and just yesterday before he made the move properly, she came down to help him clean the place up and make a few changes to expand the space a bit magically. They had a laugh about one of the pink statement walls and swiftly changed it to a gentle soothing blue, and ordered some noodles while he told her about some of the family heirlooms from the vault he intended to bring with him. But despite her laughter, there were moments when she looked lost in thought or her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

He knew this case would be taxing on them, but it never happened before for a case to create distance between them and Draco found it rather disconcerting. He wasn't sure why, perhaps it was the fact that she was such a constant in his life, or that he couldn't imagine not seeing her every day, but the thought of her pulling away from him or ending their friendship made something in his chest clench tightly. Maybe he should give her some space. Did she want space? It would be unlikely for her to get any during this case. Maybe he should limit the time he spent popping over? No, as selfish as that made him, being around her brought him comfort he couldn't quite name and he needed as much of it as he could get right now.

They were seated at one of the lovely tables under a large chandelier and Hermione admired the way it caught the light and made the room brighten up. The blue and gold accents were beautiful and she wondered perhaps again why she didn't take more time for herself in places like this. And then the reason appeared beside her chair.

"Hermione, it is so good to see you!" the accent was unmistakeable, making Hermione smile genuinely as she stood and kissed Pavlina's cheek in greeting. The beautiful young woman was much less regal looking in her cashmere sweater dress, but not any less beautiful and joyful.

"Pavlina, what a surprise! I'm afraid we managed to leave before I said goodbye last time," she said with a small self-deprecating smile as she stood back. As much as she genuinely enjoyed the model's company, this was supposed to be their brunch and her casual good mood slipped into her cautious professional mindset instead.

Pavlina beamed. "Well, this time I do not let you leave so lightly. Here," she passed her a card from her handbag, "it has my number on it, give me a call tonight? I have no one to take me to the museums, Ivan is so busy these days," he sighed remorsefully before turning her hopeful gaze at the witch before her. "Would you be my guide?" she asked.

Hermione chuckled, glad she wasn't going to be shopping at least. "It would be my pleasure. And I will show you a few of the special exhibitions," she hinted, knowing Pavlina will understand her meaning. There was a stunning museum of magical history, part of the London Wizarding University, and she had every intention of showing her around.

Pavlina looked very excited indeed. "Thank you, I look forward to seeing London through your eyes," she squeezed Hermione's hand once more and with a final wave disappeared towards the reception to book her spa date.

Hermione sat down and slipped the card into her handbag, feeling Draco's piercing gaze on her as she picked up the menu once more. "So, what would you recommend?" she asked, trying to get back to the leisurely mood from the morning but deep down she knew that she couldn't go back to being her usual relaxed self when they could be happened upon like this at any moment again. She loved her work, but it was at times like these when leaving her home turned into having to perform in case she is seen was exhausting…

….

"Are you alright?" Draco asked as they apparated back to their street and let their magical signature register to reveal their heavily guarded house.

"Yeah, fine, just a bit tired and very full. I think I need a nap," she tried to joke but could see he was not buying it for a moment.

"I'm sorry our lunch was ruined," he sad, continuing up the stairs with her towards her flat despite having passed his own door. "Had I known, I wouldn't have taken us there," he sighed and ran a hand through his blond locks. It was still a great opportunity to make further contact with the Russians, he just wished they could have had a leisurely lunch in each other's company without the pressure of performing in case they had audience.

Hermione shrugged. "It is what it is. Thanks for a nice lunch anyway, I really enjoyed the seabass. And I get to spend a day with Pavlina in my favourite places around London so cannot complain. I think perhaps in another life, we would make good friends," she mused, knowing she could never truly be open with the blonde due to the nature of her work. Merlin, she sounded stupid even to herself when she slipped into this mindset. "So, I'll go take than nap and I'll see you tomorrow morning at work," she turned away to unlock her door before she felt the warmth of his hand as he reached for her arm to stop her.

"Hey, I know this case is tough but we'll get them, we always do. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, the words soft, almost a murmur. It was his worried voice and she desperately wanted to reassure him that she was fine and just get some distance between them but she couldn't do that when he hugged her closely the next moment, just holding her tightly into his chest as she breathed in his reassuring scent and held onto him tightly in return.

They just stood there, seconds ticking by, taking strength from holding each other's closeness before Hermione realised herself and gently pulled away. "Thanks, I'm just tired and wish I could make some new friends without wondering whether I may have to arrest or kill them at some point in the foreseeable future," she sighed. "I'll get over myself and let you settle in," she promised before unlocking her door and stepping into the doorframe. "See you tomorrow?"

Draco observed her for a moment longer before nodding. "Sure thing, briefing at eight, I'll meet you there," he stepped back and headed down the stairs when she smiled at him once more before closing her door.

Hermione sat down onto her sofa heavily and rubbed her face tiredly. _Fuck it, this calls for a cuppa and chocolate,_ she kicked off her shoes and headed for the kitchen.

**6th October 2008**

Hermione held tightly onto her travel mug, tired after a long night of nightmares. As Halloween approached, her nightmares sometimes returned as the wild magics in the world hummed in anticipation of the veil thinning between the worlds of the living and the dead. The weather swiftly deteriorated as well and they were in the middle of another storm that made the wind howl down their street in the night. Her body ached from exhaustion but she took another sip of the strong coffee and headed for the meeting room. The team they were working with shrunk even further in the past few weeks in order to decrease their liability, now more so than ever. Only Alice and the new recruit Erik from the Intel team, and Robyn and Darcy, a pair of excellent trackers and field agents remained. Draco was already working on casting the spell to darken the glass walls of the room as she stepped in and closed the door, a silencing and privacy charm falling into place.

"Morning everyone," Hermione greeted as she took a seat at the bead of the table, close to where the group congregated. "Let's touch base, especially now after we've had a productive weekend," she summarised before nodding to the blond to take lead.

Draco sat beside her as he spread out a large map onto the table. "I had a meeting with Sokolov at his firm on Friday, discussing some of the ways Malfoy Industries could support some of his projects in Siberia," he pointed out the location of the land on the map and pulled out several photographs from a folder. It would be worth investigating who he is doing business with to see if any of those who are still on the wanted list in Britain migrated to Russia. The reason for this suspicion is this," he pointed to a photograph on the left.

They all studied it closely for a moment before Darcy hissed. "Igor Karkaroff. But he died in '96," he protested.

Draco shook his head. "I can confirm it's him. He was sighted in Krasnoyarsk just last week. I need to send one of you there to assess the situation, tail the subject and see if you can gain access to one of the sights as a manual worker," he explained.

Robyn and Darcy looked at each other silently before Robyn nodded. "No offence but your Russian is shut, mate. I'll go," he offered with a grin, as Darcy agreed with a self-deprecating shrug.

Draco handed over a list. "This is what you will need. I've already notified our friends in Poland. You will travel there first, receive your ID and documents before heading for Moscow," he explained before turning to Darcy. "I'll need you here while Sokolov is in Britain, in case we need someone on the ground to act as my personal detail."

Darcy nodded. "Understood."

Draco offered an appreciative smile. "Thank you. No matter what our suspicions are, we need concrete evidence that Sokolov is the head of the ring, not just the neck. That's all from me," he settled down in his seat and folded the map up, looking for Hermione to take over.

She took a final sip of her coffee before turning to the group. "Sokolov's girlfriend Pavlina is proving a good source of information as well. I spent the day with her on Saturday and learnt that not only does Sokolov have an interest in historical conservation, he is obsessed with legends an fairytales, and collects mythical objects, artefacts, and jewellery. This information coincides with our suspicion that he is searching for a concrete object of historical relevance, most likely a piece of jewellery. Have we managed to narrow it down?" she asked, looking at Alice and Erik.

Alice nodded and pulled out a list. "We searched for anyone associated with Sokolov, whether staff or other associates, who dealt with archeologists, auction houses or other spaces that would provide access to buy historical goods and artefacts. Turns out he has buyers in most large cities in Europe - here in London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Zurich, Florence, Barcelona… the list goes on. Erik managed to confound one of the record keepers at Bonhams auctions and found out that Sokolov works with one Nicholas Sturgeon, a somewhat famous name in the field, who organises buyers for him in these countries. We are still researching just what type of items they usually obtain elsewhere but from the records here in London, the focus has been mostly on paintings, pottery, literature and jewellery. The timescale is wide as well, anything between eleventh and seventeenth century," she explained while showing them the list of items bought by Sokolov, and a photograph of Sturgeon.

"Excellent work," Hermione nodded, pleased they were making progress. "We need to find out as much as you can. As you are restricted for health reasons regarding travel on international portkeys, it appears the new recruit gets his first field experience," she turned to Erik who looked like he was about to fall out of his seat.

"Really?" he asked, forgetting himself for a moment in his excitement.

Hermione shared a quick look with Alice before nodding with a smile. "You will be supervised of course, but you did very good work at Bonhams. We need to find out what type of items he's been buying around Europe to help us see any patterns, if he is currently searching for something as part of a collection or an individual piece. There are too many variables and we need to reduce them," she explained. "Alice, I trust you will lead on this mission, and guide Erik through the necessary steps. He will need to change identity at least three times if he is travelling to more than six destinations. Take no chances at being tracked."

"Understood," Alice acknowledged the orders and made some notes to reflect the new development.

"We will meet next week on Monday here for an update. Darcy, I expect to hear from you regarding Robyn. Erik, one week is plenty enough but if you are not back by then, make sure Alice has a report for us before Monday morning. Any questions?" Hermione asked, hoping to retreat to her office to go over the photos one more time. She knew they were missing something and gave herself two weeks of a break before looking at the photos from Australia again to see if she could spot anything else.

After a beat of silence, Draco got up. "Dismissed," he released them from the briefing and followed Hermione our of the room. "What do you have in plan?" he asked.

"I have a few other cases to review, new intel came in on one of our Jerusalem leads. And I want to look at the photo-evidence from Australia again, hopefully I will be able to spot something," she sighed tiredly. Maybe she should take some dreamless sleep potion tonight. Just a few drops to dose off and get rest for a few hours…

"Lunch?" Draco asked, hoping to catch her for a couple of hours as they've been too busy over the last week to catch up properly, and now that he moved out, he barely got to see her.

Hermione however shook her head. "Not today, maybe tomorrow?" she countered.

He wanted to push, but noticed the tension in her shoulders and the exhaustion in her eyes so he relented. This time. "Sure. if you feel like some company before then, I can cook tonight if you'd like, just pop down," he offered before heading for his own office. He let her go this time, but if she continued to avoid him, he would catch her out sooner or later and make her tell him what this was all about….


	10. Chapter 10

**9th October 2008**

It has been three days since he actually spoke to her or saw her. Three long fucking days. First she sent him a quick memo to say she was meeting with Pavlina for another tour of London. He was pleased they were making progress and getting closer to Sokolov's ranks, but waiting for word from her was maddening. He thought she would at least be able to brief him on what she learnt from Pavlina, but all he got was a short note to say she accepted Pavlina's invitation to go to the spa with her for a couple of days while he met with Sokolov. And not a word since.

Draco was pacing in his living room tiredly, his hair dishevelled from the way he constantly ran his hand through it. He was worried, though more than that he was restless. Even while she was in Australia, they checked in on each other and she provided him with some sanity before the blow up with his ex-wife. He could feel the change and wasn't going to lie to himself in the face of it. Perhaps it was this mission but he needed her around, and that irrational feeling of panic at the thought of her no longer being in his life returned with full force like it did a few days ago.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He was over-reacting. She was fine, probably getting some invaluable intel on Sokolov's private life, and they would catch up about it tomorrow before he went to meet with the man. Right? Right.

Looking into the medicine cabinet above his sink while he brushed his teeth, Draco contemplated gulping down a dreamless sleep potion just to get some proper rest and have his wits about him during the meeting tomorrow, but it could be a risk in case Hermione needed him in the night. Deciding against it in the end, he washed his tired face and headed to bed, hoping he would manage at least a few hours of sleep.

….

Hermione activated one of her hidden portkeys and disappeared soundlessly from her luxurious suite at the Lanesborough, courtesy of Pavlina who insisted they couldn't see all of London in just one day. And so she found herself with a suite at the hotel, spending the past three days touring London with the young model and joining her for various spa treatments as part of their 'bonding time'. It wasn't that Pavlina was bad company, far from it, but Hermione had to remain constantly vigilant and had a suspicion her room was bugged with muggle or magical devices to listen in on her, so she couldn't even call Draco's phone or fireplace. So she waited until two o'clock in the morning before wordlessly silencing her bed and activating the portkey to her flat.

She landed in the living room, deftly breaking the fall with a crouch. She listened in on any movement but her flat remained undisturbed and as she left it, right down to the forgotten mug on her coffee table that was beginning to grow mould. Quickly and quietly she packed some more clothes for a couple more days at the hotel just in case, before warding her flat once more and heading down the stairs to Draco's flat. She let the wards recognise her magic and unlocked the door with a quick Alohomora before securing it once more and making her way quietly towards the blond's bedroom. She approached slowly and made sure he was nowhere else in the flat before turning the handle and pushing the door open near soundlessly. She had a wand tip pressed into her pulse point quicker than she could protest, apparently disturbing the blond's sleep with her silent entry.

"It's just me," she turned her head slightly to look at the man still aiming his wand at her, showing him she meant no harm.

Draco attempted to calm his breathing from the adrenaline that made him spring out of bed at the disturbance to his wards, but didn't lower his wand. "Prove it," he dared, voice raspy from sleep.

Hermione took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes as she answered. "You keep the bottom drawer in your study locked because it holds the one thing you treasure most as a memory of your parents pre-war; a photo of your father pushing Narcissa on your childhood swing at the back of the manor orchard," she said softly but clearly.

Draco lowered his wand immediately and pulled her into his arms in a tight embrace. "I'm glad you're alright, though it would have been nice to know what's going on," he frowned as she pulled away and sat down on the edge of his bed, rubbing her face tiredly. Only then did he notice the small kit bag by her feet and the fact that she was dressed in a pair cream silk shorts and matching camisole, barely anything at all against the chill of the night. He picked up his warm blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders, receiving a grateful nod.

"There was no chance. Pavlina roped me into ladies bonding time and booked me a suite at the Lanesborough. It's been all sight-seeing and spa treats, but I suspect this was not just her idea," she suggested. "I have a suspicion that the room is bugged so if I cast detection spells, it may interfere with the muggle devices or tick off the magical variety, and they will only install new ones while I'm out of the room anyway. So I'm operating from a point of view where every move is observed," she explained as she held the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Gods it felt good to just breathe without scrutiny for five minutes…

"Do you think they're intercepting your phone as well?" Draco asked as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall across from her.

"It's possible. I didn't want to take the risk, but at this point, I needed some more clothes as I have nothing else to transfigure, and wanted to get at least a few minutes with you to explain and update you," she explained, seeing the understanding dawning in his eyes. "We've also had an escort with us while shopping and while in the hotel restaurant. You could miss it if you didn't look properly but I've spotted them several times already, looking like they were reading or getting a drink but very clearly being there only to observe and guard us. Take three guesses who."

Draco let out a tired sight. "Ulyanov?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "Ulyanov and two of his pet baboons. Looks like Sokolov is sharing his security detail to cover Pavlina and keep an eye on me. Whether it's him being suspicious or he just wants to find out more information about me, I can't tell at this point. Anyway, all he should find on me is my official Ministry file which shows my lobbying history, and then my charity connections. Just another activist using her fame and name to move the masses," she spoke as her fingers subconsciously began platting her wild mane out of her face, a comforting gesture that Draco only saw her do when she was unguarded and tired.

He stepped closer and crouched down in front of her, stilling her hands. "Thank you for giving me the warning and for letting me know you're well if not safe. I've been quite worried," he admitted, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles soothingly.

She looked down at their joined hands before looking back up into his eyes. "I had to get a message to you but I didn't know how to do it safely otherwise. I'm hoping tomorrow is the last day. It's not that Pavlina is unpleasant company, I just…." she took a deep shuddering breath and let it out slowly to calm herself, "I just wish I didn't have to deceive her," she said in the end, settling of half the truth.

It wasn't just that she wished she could honestly be Pavlina's friend without the deception. She spent plenty of missions alone and produced excellent results every single time. And yet here she was, wishing for all in the world that she didn't have to go back to that blasted hotel room alone and instead had Draco to come with her.

Draco pulled her close into his arms once more and just held her, hoping that he could ease her stress somehow. He could feel the tension leaving his own shoulders just a fraction at the realisation that she still had to go back but was otherwise well. Gods he had missed her.

She took a deep breath and pulled away, ready to head back and face the music. "I have to go, can't be away long just in case. I think I'll have to stay there for the rest of the weekend, and then can hopefully come back to rest up before briefing on Monday. Are you ready for your meeting with Sokolov tomorrow?" she asked as she shrunk the kitbag and placed it into the small pocket of her sleep shorts.

Draco nodded. "As prepared as I can be. I spoke to my CFO and made some proposals that we can discuss. I will be meeting him at one of his offices, his secretary is to confirm final arrangements tomorrow morning."

Hermione set his blanket down and hold onto the portkey. "I'll try to keep you posted, maybe stage a phone call later so Pavlina can hear me checking in. I'll aim to portkey straight back to my bed which is under silencing charms. Good luck," she said softly before squeezing the portkey which glowed for a moment and with a gentle pop she was back in her bed at the Lanesborough.

Draco ran a hand through his hair and sat down at the edge of his bed, feeling the relief that she was safe for now sink in. He could still smell a hint of her shampoo on the blanket as he laid back down to get a couple more hours of sleep. She was safe, and maybe he could see her tomorrow under the guise of a couple of drinks after work at the hotel. With that last thought, he finally allowed himself to slip into a more restful sleep.

* * *

**10th October 2008**

"My team looks forward to working with Malfoy industries," Sokolov shook his hand firmly, a small smile pulling on the side of his lips thought there was no warmth to it.

"Our Eastern European branch looks forward to receiving these proposals and they should be able to initiate phase one within the next two weeks," Draco nodded as they headed out of the office.

"Good, we can meet again then to review the first report," the man agreed and looked into one of the adjoining rooms. "Zoran, eto Pavlina v stolovoy s Germionoy?" he asked the rather large man reviewing some security cameras.

"Da," the man nodded and spoke to his ear piece in rapid Russian before they were escorted downstairs in the elevator.

"I thought it would be a nice surprise for all of us to spend the weekend. Will the girls like their surprise do you think?" Sokolov asked him, leaning against the back of the lift leisurely with his hands in his pockets. There may have been a small smirk on his lips but his gaze was sharp as he looked at the blond beside him.

Draco was getting used to the man's mannerisms and nodded. "Hermione will be happy, I have been rather busy this week and haven't had a chance to see her much," he admitted with a leisurely air.

"Pavlina complains of the same thing," Sokolov shrugged. "It cannot be helped sometimes but I know she can entertain herself well, specially with your lovely companion assisting," he commented as they stepped out of the lift and entered the restaurant through the nearby archway.

Pavlina was the first to spot them as she was seated facing the entrance to the restaurant and waved them over. "Lord Malfoy, I didn't know you were joining us!" she greeted the Malfoy heir.

"Draco, please," he invited as he leaned in to kiss her cheek in greeting before turning to Hermione to greet her as well. He pulled her close by the waist and leaned down to kiss the corner of her lips. "Surprise, love," he said warmly, squeezing her hip in reassurance.

Hermione looked truly surprised but happy to see him. "It sure is! How come you're here? Are you joining us for the afternoon?" she asked as they all sat down, Draco's hand resting leisurely on top of her thigh as she crossed her legs comfortably.

"Ivan suggested we meet here, as he has an office attached to his suite, and then join you ladies down here. We have been invited to stay for the rest of the weekend," he explained, noticing the slight crinkling around Hermione's eyes as she took a sip of her water to hide her reaction of relief that she won;t be alone with the two Russians for the next two days.

"How wonderful. I was just telling Pavlina she could help me plan the Yule fundraiser for the Welsh dragon sanctuary this weekend in between some treatments," she smiled at the young woman across from her who was leaning comfortably into her partner.

She could feel Sokolov's piercing gaze on her, her skin rising in goose flesh in a natural reaction, thankfully masked by her long sleeved blouse. They looked like a typical young, rich slavic couple - both beautiful and polished in expensive clothing and mannerisms that showed they were used to being served, Pavlina perhaps somewhat less so than the young oligarch. But despite their friendly demeanour, she could see now there was more depth to their connection that she initially thought, and perhaps Pavlina knew more than she pretended to. It was hard to spot as the young model was such a genuine personality, but no matter how young and excitable she was (or perhaps acted), there was a mature air around her at moments that Hermione struggled to identify when it was just the two of them. Seeing Pavlina and Sokolov together and sitting so close, she could see the way they fit together with a natural intimacy born out of being close emotionally, mentally and physically. She would have to be even more careful around Pavlina if she was more involved than they initially suspected...

Draco cut through her observation with a chuckle. "I hope you'll find some time for me as well," he teased as he picked up the menu to have a look for some lunch, the conversation resuming away from business and back on the upcoming weekend.

Two hours later after a long dinner and a couple of drinks, Draco followed Hermione up to her suite after promising he would be more than happy to share with her for the weekend. Once the door was locked and secured, Hermione kicked off her heeled boots and turned to look at him just as he enlarged the small suitcase he packed earlier that morning.

"This is such a great surprise. And you brought me some more clothes, how thoughtful," she said casually in case they were being listened to, to explain the provisions she grabbed last night. "Want to come tell me about your day while we take a shower?" she asked, motioning for the en suite through the door on the right.

"Only if you wash my back," he replied cheekily before grabbing his toiletry bag and they both headed into the small room. Hermione blasted the shower immediately to cover for the sound as they swept the bathroom with a few quick charms and found no indication of surveillance, making sure to silence the door for some privacy.

Hermione put the toilet cover down and sat on it as the room began to steam up from the hot shower. "What on Earth are you doing here?" she asked tiredly though not unkindly. Was this another game of Sokolov's to see how they would react?

Draco leaned against the towel cabinet, equally drained by the day's events. "His secretary literally called me as I was leaving the house to meet our board. I had time to pack some clothes and the small case for surveillance you keep in your flat before dashing to my office before coming here. I didn't want to text to give you a heads up in case they would intercept the message and instead agreed to pay along with Sokolov to make it a surprise. He already mentioned playing golf together and a dinner with some of the other elites from around Europe that he would like us to join tomorrow night. It's a great chance to play along and get closer into his circle, maybe even monitor his security detail and visitors."

Hermione nodded and pulled a spare hair tie from her pocket to pull her wild mane into a messy bun and out of the way. "I'll have to transfigure a suitable dress or go shopping with Pavlina tomorrow in that case. How do we want to do this then? Should we just magically ward the whole suite which would cancel out any type of surveillance, or play along for the weekend and discuss the mission minimally and only in the bathroom?" she asked, wondering what would be best.

Draco contemplated it for a moment. "Would they expect us to cast wards for privacy? Wouldn't it be suspicious if we didn't, being famous and all? Would they find it too obviously if didn't check if anyone was listening on us?" he pointed out.

"Good point," Hermione agreed. "How about we cast the spells tonight to get a respite, and I'm sure we will be out most of tomorrow so they will most likely plant something else in the room to observe us. That way we'll have at least this night to plan."

"We should take that shower, putter about hanging up some clothes and maybe discussing our day before we go to settle into bed for some 'reading' and then sweep the room?" he suggested, trying to make it appear most natural.

"That would work," Hermione agreed and began working on the buttons of her blouse. "I'm not washing my hair tonight so I'll quickly freshen up first if that'a alright?" she asked.

Draco nodded and they switched places as he sat down on the lid of the toilet while she undressed. "Is the spa actually any good this year?" he asked, keeping his gaze turned away to give her some privacy until she was behind the frosted glass of the shower stall.

"I've had a couple of massages so far but it's difficult to relax under the circumstances," she said honestly as she lathered up, the subtle smell of lemon and verbena filling the small enclosed space. "I'm beginning to think that Pavlina is clued up more than she's pretending to be. Don't get me wrong, she is still incredibly bubbly and has been nothing but nice to me, but there are moments when it feels like a facade is slipping and something else is showing. Did you notice during dinner?"

Draco nodded before realising she couldn't see him. "There's a symbiosis between them…I can't imagine her not being aware of some of his activities at least. My mother didn't know the inns and outs of all of my father's business, but she knew what was important and assisted in the social capacity when it was about politics and his not so savoury dealings," he mused.

"I suppose they have a similar arrangement," Hermione agreed. "I would definitely want to know of my partner's activities rather than stay in the dark and then one day be surprised when the financial police or the mafia come knocking," she agreed. "Speaking of mafia, any news on Malinin? I know you had trouble tracing intel on him," she pointed out as the water switched off and one of the large bath towels flew behind the shower stall glass.

"Only that he benefited from the privatisation era as well and is currently stationed in Ukraine. My guess is that he is dealing with someone in the gas industry, as Sokolov is gearing up to do some changes to the current pipeline systems across Russia and into the rest of Europe," he explained as she stepped out of the shower, wrapped up in her towel.

"Makes sense to have a man on the ground," she nodded, rummaging through her toiletry bag and keeping her back turned to let him get in the shower. She could feel her cheeks warm at the though of them being so close to each other in a nude state, something that wouldn't have bothered her a few weeks ago. Now though, in this hotel room in such close proximity and with only one double bed in the room awaiting them, she had to take a moment to calm down. She would probably be even more worked up if she wasn't so bloody tired.

Thankfully the shower resumed and Draco took some time to think rather than talk, so she cracked on with her moisturising and bedtime routine. Once they were both done with showering, they stepped out of the bathroom and continued casually chatting about the dinner and some of the food they wanted to try, maybe about booking some spa treatments while they got dressed. Draco just pulled on a pair of black boxers and a t-shirt while Hermione slipped into her sleeping shorts and camisole, puttering around the room casually until it was time for bed.

Draco did a thorough privacy charm on the room and nodded to let her know it was done. "The charm detected two bugs and neutralised them. Just as you predicted, they were certainly listening in. We should be safe for the rest of the night though," he offered, watching her relief as she picked up the book she brought with her.

After a few moments she set it back down on bedside table however, and slipped under the sheets with a tired sigh. "I think I'll just go to sleep if that's okay with you, I'm absolutely knackered."

Draco lifted the duvet and got in beside her, pulling the unprotesting witch into his arms as she has done for him many a time at his best and worst moments alike. "Get some rest, you sure deserve it," he hummed into her wild curls as her eyes began closing at the comfort of the familiar embrace. She was just so tired, and he smelled nice, and all she could remember before her eyes closed was that she was glad he was there with her.

Draco felt her breathing even out and lowered his nose through the curls to the top of her head, letting the soft curls tickle his skin as he breathed her natural scent in. It was unusual for her to fall asleep immediately, so she must have been truly exhausted after the last couple of weeks. This mission was testing, but at least they were in it together now and he took comfort from that fact as his arms tightened around the brunette and he gave into his own exhaustion.


	11. Chapter 11

_"_ _What's it going to be, cherie? Will you talk, or should we be a bit more..persuasive?" his foul breath caressed her neck, the ropes tightening around her body with each word. She hated the fucking bastard and his merry band of assholes, one more disgusting and stupid than the other. How they managed to catch her in the first place was a mystery…_

_She pressed her lips shut tightly together despite the painful constriction, a small trickle of blood from a cut on her arm dripping down her fingers._

_She felt more than heard him sigh before a rough hand gesture over her shoulder to one of the other men caught her attention. The man disappeared just for a moment before a different figure stumbled into the room and promptly collapsed in front of her on the hard concrete floor with a grunt._

_Hermione's breath hitched as she instantly recognised Draco but she didn't move or say a word. He was bound tightly as well but able to walk, or rather stumble, and looked to have an impressive bruise swelling on his left cheek. He managed to roll over onto his back and their gaze met briefly but before they could communicate anything, a red jet hit his body and he began convulsing in agony as liquid magical fire pressed into his veins and every inch of his body._

_"_ _Crucio," the calm command came from behind her and the spell flew past her ear, landing on the blond the moment he began to calm down from the first attack, forcing an agonised cry from his lips once again._

_Hermione took a shuddering breath through her nose as she watched the painful convulsions, refusing to look away as she instinctively wanted to, in case she missed any opportunity to escape. The spell finally ended and Draco took in broken, shuddering breaths, beads of sweat rising on his forehead and tears flowing freely from his eyes. Hermione's breath picked up further as memories of the Malfoy dining room and the torture she endured tried to press to the forefront of her mind. She tried to synchronise their breathing, a technique they learnt during training, but it was of no use, she was beginning to feel frightened._

_"_ _Still won't tell us where your Ministry is holding my brother?" the words caressed her earlobe, his close proximity turning her stomach._

_"_ _I don't know what you're talking about," she replied steadily, praying that backup was going to get to them in time._

_There was a beat of silence before the wand appeared over her shoulder again, pointed at Draco once more. "As you wish," the words were soft with suppressed rage and despite knowing what was coming, she couldn't help but cry out along with the blond as the unforgivable landed in the centre of his chest._

_"_ _Draco!" she tried to reach his convulsing body by lunging forward, fighting her restraints vigorously._

"Hermione!" she could hear him calling back to her.

"Draco!" She tried to reach him once more as arms wrapped around her firmly to prevent her from moving.

"Hermione! Wake up, shhh wake up, Hermione!" she was shaken once more before her eyes flew open and she cried out, trying to get away from the tight embrace.

"Shhh Hermione, it's alright, it's just me, you're safe," Draco held her tightly in his arms, cooing softly to her as her movements slowed down and her heaving chest started to slow its rise. "That's it…it's just us here, you're safe, I've got you…" he murmured in her ear but unlike a few moments ago, she knew it was Draco holding her and the words spoken in her ear were soothing rather than frightening.

Her heart rate began to slow and she felt the embrace of his arms loosen to allow her some movements now that she was calm and no longer thrashing. She took a few deep breaths before turning around to face the blond, her eyes taking in the sight of his messy hair and worried frown.

"Sorry for waking you and hitting you…" she said softly, allowing the man to pull her closer to him once more.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Merlin knows what would become of us if what we do didn't give us nightmares…" he reached up to caress her cheek to push the damp curls away from her face. "Want to talk about it?" he asked cautiously, knowing it could go either way with her. Hermione either described her nightmare in detail before centring herself and shrugging it off, or she simply refused to talk about it as it was to do more with real memories than dreams.

As he predicted by her violent thrashing, this was one of the nastier ones and was in no way surprised when she shook her head silently. "Leroux," was all she said but it made everything clear.

Jacques Leroux used to be the leader of a French magical terrorist unit, planning attacks on muggles all over the country to stir up civil unrest and premature parliamentary elections. It was one of the missions they had worked together, gathering intel on the group for a few weeks before agreeing a plan of action. Their informant turned double spy however received a better offer from the anti-establishment group and ratted them out, which led to their capture. Draco was tortured for nearly two hours before the backup he alerted during his ambush finally arrived on the scene and arrested Leroux and what was left of his group. It was one of those nights that really tested their friendship and professional partnership, and he could clearly see why it would be emerging in her dreams considering the current situation.

"This time will be different… We're a better team, we're closer than ever and though I shudder at the possibility of sounding like a bloody Gryffindor, I wouldn't want to be on this mission with anyone else," he reassured her gently.

As he held her, Draco realised just how close they were as they talked, her breath tickling the bottom of his chin. Her eyes always grew lighter like honey when she was anxious or scared. But there was something else in her gaze right now. True, it was anxious, but as he held her close and rubbed her back soothingly, they began to darken, almost glowing as her magic came to the surface from her magical core to just under her skin and showed in her eyes. And not surprisingly he could feel his own magic pulsing beneath his ribcage, as if wanting to respond. Never has this happened before that he could recall, but now that he felt it the draw of it, he instinctively leaned closer to the source of the magic, their lips but a breath away. He wanted to say something, but all his words were lost when he felt the answering thrum of magic between their bodies and her breath hitch at his proximity.

He didn't know who closed the final inches between them but couldn't care less when their lips finally met, sending a current of magic through them, making them part momentarily at the shock of it. They didn't stay apart long however as they clashed with renewed fervour, teeth clinking briefly before they adjusted their angle to merge more seamlessly. She welcomed him when he deepened the kiss as she pressed into his heated body, her leg coming up to wrap around his lower back to allow him closer. They fit so well together she could feel their bodies align naturally, her heated core pressing against his rising need, the thin fabric separating their bodies barely a barrier. Gods it has been a couple of months since her tryst in Australia and she was very much in need of some attention, going by how soaked she was in just a few moments.

She groaned into their kiss when dextrous fingers found their way under her camisole and pinched her nipple teasingly, toying with the aroused flesh and adding to her need. She could feel his hardened length pressing against her thigh and bucked her hips to rub their loins together, giving as good as she got. She felt more than heard him mouth a profanity against her lips as he gripped her hips tightly to hold her still for a moment as he began pulling on her clothes.

It was once her top his the floor and she was bared to his gaze that something shifted inside her and she realised just what they were doing.

"Draco," she gripped his wrist to still him until he looked at her, both them trying to catch their breath. "We shouldn't….not now, not like this…" she whispered, admitting that it wasn't the deed she was objecting to but rather the perilous timing on their mission.

Draco's gaze, usually so pale and bright now dark and burning like a pair of sapphires, flicked between her eyes and panting lips. His hand moved to caress her belly, feeling the hum of magic as it rose against her skin to meet his. "Have you ever felt this before?" he asked quietly.

Hermione tried to still her quivering muscles as they trembled under his touch but shook her head. "No…and I don't know why it feels like this now. It's never been like this when we touched before," she admitted.

Draco finally rolled off her and leaned down over the edge fo the bed to pick up her camisole. "You're right, this is not the right time. But on Sunday once we get home, can we talk?" he asked, watching as she slipped the material back on to cover her modesty.

Hermione nodded as she pulled her wild curls into a tighter plait and put some space between them but moving closer to the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, I don't want to mess up this weekend, or our friendship," she admitted, hoping her magic didn't just ruin everything.

Draco shook his head. "You haven't and won't. We'll get through this. Now, maybe we should get some more sleep?" he suggested.

As they settled back down, with a respectable amount of space between them to not tempt fates this time, neither could fall back to sleep easily. Hermione could still feel her magical core flickering, her magic trying to rise to the surface at Draco's close proximity. In all their years of friendships, never once did anything like this happen and she was baffled as to why here and now it would chose to manifest itself. Was it some sort of drug? Did someone slip something into their drinks and it was now forcing their bodies to react to close proximity? She wouldn't put it past the Russians. One thing she was sure of however, and that was her feelings for Draco. That kiss lit up her whole body and she could still feel her inner muscles quivering hungrily in an instinct to be filled. After just one kiss… She would have a very tough time trying to ignore it and go back to being friends and goofing around his living room if that was what Draco chose.

On the other side of the bed, Draco was no closer to satisfaction himself. His body was coiled tightly and his magic was pulsing under his ribs, as if in punishment for taking away its responding force away. Never in his life did he experience anything similar - not during his trysts as a teen before he became too depressed during the war, not when he agreed to marry Astoria. He had loved her at one point, she was his wife, and he hoped they would build on that bond, but the most he could feel was the satisfaction of release when she decided to share his bed. This thrumming, this need for his body to be as close to Hermione's as possible was incredible. Far from a curse or effects of any potion that he could recognise, this felt like his very magic was directing him straight into her arms. How this possible though? They've been friends many years but not once did this happen. Why would their magic all of a sudden react like this? It made no sense at all….

Both eventually managed to drift off to fitful sleep, knowing they had a performance to put on over the coming days.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Dear readers, apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I was away on holiday and the wifi at the resort was as shocking as a lightening. I hope you continue to enjoy the building romance and tension between our two favourite characters, I look forward to hearing your opinions!**

* * *

Hermione excused herself after her plate was taken away and made her way through the side hall to the nearest ladies room. She hated these pompous dinners with people who had money to burn, and neither manners nor any idea of how most people lived. True, the French ambassador was pleasant but his wife kept frowning at her and the rest of the wealthy company, mostly nouveau riche business men, bored her to tears. Draco was of course in his element and appeared to know at least half the table, conversing it English, French and German alike in between the different courses. She enjoyed taking a step back to watch him interact with their dinner company and piping in occasionally as a dutiful partner. The world of the rich was often a conservative one, so she took a leaf out of pureblood etiquette books and decided to keep her responses short and diplomatic while letting Draco do most of the talking. It did allow her more time to mentally categorise the table and try to figure out what connections Sokolov possibly had with this company.

The French ambassador was easy, it was well-known Sokolov often dealt with the French as he had a few offices there and often got himself invitations to important state events for visibility.

The Austrian count was an interesting choice, they would have to research him further to find out more about their connection.

Two Russian entrepreneurs, one mentioned sustainable energy and the other a modelling agency. Perhaps a connection that was more to do with Pavlina? As far as she could remember, Pavlina was scouted out by a rep from one of the Russian modelling agencies before being offered a contract with Elite models. Was this the Russian modelling agency that hired her? Or was she just doing some sort of PR package for them?

The son of a Ukrainian oligarch sitting across from her was an easy one to place due to his connections to the gas and oil industry. That left the quiet business man from Switzerland who barely said a word all evening. Daniel Brust, never heard of him so they would have to research him further.

She closed the door to her stall and waved her wand to keep her evening dress out of the way as she sat down and rolled her neck around to release some of the tension in her shoulders.

This weekend continued taking a toll on her and Draco alike. Her pulse quickened every time she recalled the taste of him, the feel of his hungry kisses, the heat of his hand as he gripped her hip and their bodies collided… She shook her head and covered her face with her hands for a moment to get a hold of herself. They were doing well so far today, continuing their closeness as a couple as they have so far, but there was a new layer of awareness to the way they behaved with each other once up in their room.

When they were getting dressed for this evening, they made sure to do so separately and keep some distance, lest their magic decides to play up again. And while Draco still looked at her warmly in front of the guests and they naturally leaned into each other for the benefit of their audience, she could feel a part of him was distant and closed off.

It reminded her of when they first started working together and slowly became friends. There was always something guarded in the way he was with her, never quite letting his walls down and of course they avoided discussing topics that would be too painful or divisive. But one evening and a few glasses of fire whiskey in, they started to and since then she saw that distance disappear over time until they were as open with each other as they were before this blasted mission. Fuck, she knew this mission had the potential to ruin them. The idea that this may be her last mission for this department was taking more of a hold within her mind as the days went by.

Done with her quick pee she righted her dress before noticing the sound of heels clicking on the marble floor outside the loo. Hastily she opened the door to the stall and cast a strong disillusionment charm, holding very still to not be spotted. Thankfully her stall was situated at a slight angle and couldn't be seen from the large mirror in front of the sinks. A moment later, Pavlina entered and set her small clutch bag down on the counter before pausing, looking through to see if any of the stalls were occupied. Hermione held her breath to not give her presence away with even a minute movement. Satisfied that all was in order, Pavlina opened her clutch and took out her mobile to make a quick call. Hermione's Russian was not as good as it should be so she carefully lifted her hand to her earring, a beautiful large teardrop moonstone that complimented her dress, and drew the rune Ansuz with her finger on the smooth surface. It was sometimes known to arithmancers at the rune of communication, and activated a recording spell that would record any conversation for up to an hour.

Hermione stilled once more, listening to Pavlina's rapid Russian before watching her reapply lipstick and slipping out of the toilet. After a few beats of silence, she cancelled her spell and headed out of the toilet, glad there were no cameras to in the small corridor to see her exiting after Pavlina. She took her own mobile out of her purse and began walking back to their table, pretending to be putting it back inside the small clutch.

"Everything alright?" Draco asked, wondering what took her so long.

Hermione smiled as he got up to push her chair back in before taking his own seat again. "Of course, sorry it took me so long. I had a call from Blaise, he was inviting us to breakfast tomorrow morning as an early birthday surprise for Michele," she explained, frowning for good measure. "It's short notice but this was the only time he managed to find in their diaries before Michele has to fly to Korea for the Asia summit. I said we would love to but needed to check with our host. I didn't want to cut our weekend short without checking with you," she offered, well aware that Pavlina was listening to them.

Draco took a sip from his wine glass to stave off a response. She was telling the truth, it was Michele's birthday and they were planning to all have brunch but agreed to only use that excuse in an emergency. Why were they cutting this weekend short? Was it too much for Hermione? Did something happen while she was gone from the table? In the end, he had no choice but to agree. "I was looking forward to another round of golf, but if this is the only time they can do, we'll have to reschedule," he agreed.

Hermione turned to Pavlina to explain the situation, the beautiful blonde waving her off. "But of course, you must go. The diaries of diplomats are so unpredictable. But only if you promise me to have lunch next week! I would love to help you plan that Yule fundraiser before we leave," she reminded.

"It's a date," Hermione thanked her once more as their coffee arrived. "We should probably leave tonight, as we're meeting at ten tomorrow. I was hoping for one last massage in the morning but I'll just have to come and visit you next week for a spa day," she suggested.

Pavlina readily agreed as they sipped their espressos and finalised plans for their meeting. Draco in the meantime joined Sokolov at the bar for a last drink. "Sorry to be cutting our stay short, I owe you another round on the course."

"Next time we are in London," Sokolov clapped him on the shoulder and they took a sip from their whiskey. "We are leaving the country in a week and will be back in time for Christmas, for another two weeks. Perhaps we meet again then?" he suggested.

Draco nodded. "Of course, Hermione and I would be happy to host you and I will be in touch in the meantime to discuss the project," he suggested. "Are you heading back to Russia?" he asked.

Sokolov shook his head. "Pavlina has two shows in New York. I don't like much America but we do what we must for them, ey?" he turned to look at table where Hermione and Pavlina were laughing over their coffee. Draco merely nodded with a half smile tugging on his lips as he finished his drink. What wouldn't he do for her...

They headed up the stairs with Hermione on his arm and vaguely discussed their evening and plans for the brunch as they packed in case there was anyone listening in. Once packed and changed from their evening wear, Draco shrunk their luggage and they headed down to reception to check out and then outside to the apparition point. They looked at each other for a moment and apparated together first to Devon, then up to Wiltshire and finally back down to their home in London, in case anyone was tracing their magical signature.

They walked down a few short back alleys and disillusioned themselves as they approached their home and slipped in through the back door to Draco's flat, the wards recognising both their signatures immediately. Only once they were in the safety of his home did they drop all charms and he turned to look at her.

"This evening was going very well, why did we cut it short? Is everything alright?" he asked, looking her over but seeing nothing wrong with her.

Hermione enlarged their luggage and pulled out her earrings. "This is the pair I use for recordings. Pavlina made a phone call in the ladies room in rapid Russian so I wanted to capture it and have a listen with your translation," she explained. "I also had access to her suite today and took some photographs that we need to go through. We weren't going to stay long tomorrow so I thought it wouldn't be problematic to leave early. I texted Blaise and he made a reservation at the Savoy for breakfast for us, so we will be seen where we said we will be," she explained. "This way we get to go over the evidence and spend some time with Blaise and Michele before they leave for Korea."

"What do you mean they? Is Blaise going with Michele?" he asked surprised. Now, in the middle of the training programme?

Hermione nodded. "He asked for annual leave, it was granted. He's only going for four days, the recruits will be split to do a few days each with our respective teams. Call it practical work experience," she mused. "Alice has everything in hand, she'll be sending us a report first thing tomorrow morning so we can all prepare for the team meeting on Monday," she added and accepted a glass of brandy from him. They drank little throughout the evening and she was glad to be having something other than a small glass of wine after the weekend they had.

Draco nodded in understanding. "I agree, I don't think we would have learned anything else, I just thought it best not rouse suspicions by leaving early. But this is an elegant get away," he agreed before taking a seat across from her in the armchair.

They lapsed into silence for a moment, just looking at each other and feeling the slight tension that has been building between them rising again. Hermione took a sip of her brandy gladly and cleared her throat. "Maybe we should get some sleep and start again tomorrow? Breakfast first, then review all evidence before the meeting on Monday," she suggested and finished her drink, ready to get up. She wasn't running away, just leaving to get some rest. _Coward_ , her mind whispered to her traitorously.

Draco observed her for a moment longer before nodding and letting her go. Could they really do this right in the middle of a mission? Perhaps it was for the best that they postpone their talk…

* * *

He excused himself quietly and headed for the mens room to get a breather. Breakfast was delicious as always, it was the Savoy after all, but to be honest it was more effort that enjoyment this morning. They've been so wrapped up with this mission that they haven't even spent time with Blaise recently, and Draco realised that he actually missed his friend dearly, especially now what it was Hermione he couldn't talk to since it concerned her. Seeing his best friend happy, and dare he say in love, was however a sight to behold and judging by the softened in Blaise's gaze when he looked at his lover, Michele was his future.

Something clenched inside his chest at that thought, especially when he looked at Hermione sitting next to him, conversing with Michele in Italian, the language of lovers rolling off her tongue passionately as they discussed something to do with the upcoming trip. Despite her simple sweater dress and hardly any make up, she was radiant, and his magic swirled lazily in his core, ticking his ribs from within as if biding its time before reaching out to her again.

The door to the bathroom opened just as he was washing his hands and he offered Blaise a smile in the mirror. "Alright?" he asked, wondering why his friend didn't seem to be moving towards one of the stalls.

Blaise instead folded his arms over his chest and frowned at him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Draco returned the frown in the mirror before turning back to look at him. "What are you on about?" he asked defensively.

"I'm on about a brilliant witch looking at you like you're then love of her life while you mope around like a fool," he said pointedly.

Draco shrugged. "She's doing it for the benefit of the camera taking a photo of our table. Sokolov's man has been following us for the past half an hour," he explained. "So whatever it is that you are seeing, it's all fake," he said with conviction that he didn't feel.

"Oh you mean the photographer we all noticed leave ten minutes ago? Sure, it's all a facade. And the way she gravitates to you, the way you watch her every move when you think no one else notices… Do you think I'm stupid? Good God man, can't you just finally tell her that you love her?" he asked tiredly. It was getting ridiculous really. For years they were friends and partners in the field but now they were finally both single and so clearly in love with each other, and still they did fuck-all about it. It was driving him mad….

"I don't love her," Draco refuted automatically before realising that was probably one of the biggest lies he could have told. "I mean I love her but…it's complicated. I just got divorced, we're on a mission and she's just - I don't know, distant. We kissed yesterday-"

"You did?" Blaise interrupted with surprise. Was this what shifted the energy between them? Was this why they were both behaving so insecure about it each other? Why would they though, was the kiss not good? Ridiculous, it couldn't be, they always had fantastic chemistry, that couldn't surely be it?

Draco nodded and raked a hand through his blond tresses. "It was…incredible. Our magic actually touched, it's never happened before and never with anyone else either. But we couldn't, not while under the enemy roof. We agreed to discuss it but haven't yet. I don't even know if we should go through this and actually see where this is going, or keep our distance as much as we can until this mission is done and only then maybe see if we can try being together," he explained, feeling some of the weight lifting from his shoulders as he spoke his muddled thoughts out loud.

"You need to talk to her and explore what it is that is developing between you. If you don't, you stand to grow distant or resentful of the unresolved feelings between you and ruining your friendship. Or worse yet, your magic will decide the matter for you, probably at the most unfortunate time," he pointed out.

"What if I've already done that by kissing her? What if it was just a fluke and we don't work out? I've never done this before! Astoria enjoyed a lavish courtship and then we just married and took it from there, like our parents always taught us. This is different in so many ways, what if I fuck it up by pursuing this and get us both in trouble or even more danger," he argued, clearly conflicted.

Blaise just looked at him for a long silent moment, taking his words in before giving him the one piece of advice he knew could bring his two dear friends happiness. "You will both be in danger no matter who you date. You will always be friends before lovers, because you cannot help but be friends underneath it all. And if you think for a second that you can resist the pull she has over you, you are a bigger fool than I thought you were," he said before leaving the blond to contemplate his words.

Draco slumped against the wall behind him and swore quietly before checking his appearance in the mirror. He looked his usual composed self once he took a minute to settle down, but his eyes betrayed his turbulent thoughts. He was a fool if he thought he could keep running from this tension. Tonight. They would resolve it ether way tonight.

* * *

**AN: Will they though? Until next time! x**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Dear readers, apologies this inter-chapter took so long to write, it has been a very hectic few weeks in my household. I hope you're all still enjoying the story!**

* * *

**11th October 2008**

Draco knocked on her door again, listening for any signs of life. He could tell the fire was on in the fireplace but she had blocked her floo and wasn't answering the door. Hearing no movement he reached for his copy of her door key and unlocked the flat to have a look. He had hoped she was only asleep and couldn't hear him calling her but there was no one in. All the rooms were empty, bed dishevelled, a still lukewarm cup of tea sat on the coffee table by the fire, along with one of the books she was currently reading.

He looked at the coat hanger by the door and was relieved to see that her muggle coat was gone, as was her small handbag. Okay, so she just popped out to get something. He headed back to the kitchen and spotted the empty bottle of milk on the counter. He looked into the fridge but it was fully stocked with everything other than milk. Bingo. She had done her shop and was just popping out for some milk. Good, that shouldn't take too long, he could wait here for her and they could have a catch up before bed.

Gods he wished they would finally have it out. The way Blaise laid it out made so much sense, and he didn't want to wait until tomorrow, as Mondays were always so busy and they would be back in the swing of reports, updates and new strategies. He felt a pang in his chest and his lips stretched into a half-smile at the memory of her magic entwined with his. And he wanted to feel her again, so very much. With that thought he settled on her sofa and picked up the book with a chuckle. Canterbury tales, she always read that or Shakespeare when she was unsettled and couldn't sleep well. Good, maybe she will be just as eager to settle their feelings. He began reading but his tired body clearly had different plans as he was dozing in his seat in less than five minutes….

* * *

"Good night, Frank," Hermione called to the man behind the till as she left her favourite corner shop and headed back to the apparition point to get back to her home.

She sighed tiredly, annoyed with herself that she kept that milk so long that nearly a quarter of it had gone off. And as it felt like she had a long night with little sleep ahead of her, so she might as well make a pot of tea and for that she needed to top up her milk.

She reached the apparition point and prepared to get back home when a sharp pain in the head caused her to stumble and she landed heavily on the cobbled floor of the side street, a pair of heavy boots coming into her view just before her world went black.

* * *

Draco suddenly sat up mid-snore and looked around the room. It was still dark outside and the fire was going. Good, he hadn't been asleep long then. But a glance at his wrist watch told him otherwise as it showed nearly three in the morning. Hermione left to fetch the milk more than three hours ago at this point. He sprang up and out of his seat, checking around the flat again to confirm she was still not back.

He grabbed his wand, knowing a sure way to check if she was still in London - the Four Point spell. Granger's invention, she taught him to attach the spell to a person and search for them in the surrounding area. The spell had a radius of approximately the size of the city of London, and often times helped them confirm that the suspect was at least within the county they were searching in. If she was still in London but held somewhere, he had a good chance of finding her. He cast the spell, setting his wand in the middle of his palm and spun on the spot to give it movement.

It remained motionless.

He just stood there for a moment, staring at his wand blankly at the implications. Fuck, was she even in the country? Where could she be? If something happened to her, she would have stayed in London, in a hospital or picked up by the police or Aurors. But she wasn't. That could only mean one thing - she was taken.

He secured her flat and placed wards to alert him if anyone came in and dashed down to his own flat to change and grab what he would need. He sent his patrons ahead, watching the majestic falcon split into several smaller birds each heading for a member of their team with a single message: Code blue.

With that done he headed straight to his department. He didn't care who had her, but he would bloody-well find her.

* * *

The first feeling that registered with her was pain. Sharp, pulsing, intense cap of pain. Her head was absolutely killing her and her eyes were as if glued shut, the lids too heavy to open at her weak command. Then came the wave of nausea. Before she could stop herself and assess the situation around her, her body rolled naturally to the side and she barely managed to get onto all fours as she emptied the little bit of tea that was in her stomach. She spat the last of the thick saliva onto the floor between her hands and took in deep, calming breaths as she slowly blinked her eyes open and looked around.

"Fuck," the word escaped her chapped, dry lips as she leaned back on the heels of her feet, keeping herself steady as she realised she was in near complete darkness. The floor was made of stone, the room smelled musty and damp like underground with poor ventilation, and there was a singular, small window with two bars in the centre, making it virtually impossible for anything larger than a magpie to get through.

She slowly got to her feet and made sure she was not going to topple before staring intently at the window, willing her eyes to adapt to the darkness around her. Soon, she started noticing shadows and dark objects. It was clearly night time and wherever they were, the night was dark and silent, stars twinkling in the sky and the thin crescent of moon failing to provide any illumination.

She was inside a cell, there was no other word for it. She reached out with her arms fully outstretched and touched a wall on her left. She took a careful step to avoid the vomit on the ground and pressed her back flat against the wall, reaching her arms out again, feeling the corner of the room. Starting in the corner she began measuring her space. Seven steps forward along the smooth wall and she was in the corner. Turning her body to the right, she felt across the wall next to her until she reached a door. She tried the handle and felt around the door but there was nothing to it. The door was solid oak and the lock made of sturdy iron that appeared well-oiled. No amount of physical force was going to move this unless a few people picked it off its hinges and she was most definitely in no state to do that physically or magically with what she suspected was a concussion.

She continued along the wall for two more steps and nodded. Five steps across the front with the door in the middle on the third step. She finished walking along the perimeter of the room and discovered a basic metal bed with a thin mattress and a blanket, an empty bucket in the corner and not much else. The cell was indeed rectangular, seven by five steps around, and was clearly intended to hold prisoners with minimum fuss.

Sitting carefully on the bed, she discovered a wad of rags and a cold thermos. She unscrewed it carefully and sniffed the liquid but it appeared colourless and odourless. Knowing better than to drink something that appeared as water but could in reality be a variety of potions, she used one of the rags and some of the clear liquid to mop up the vomit to get rid of the smell and chucked it into the bucket which was promptly placed all the way across the room from her.

With nothing else to do, she laid down on the bed and stretched out, starting the stretching with her toes and working her way up her body. Her legs and ankles were fine. One of them was pulsing slightly but she guessed by now that it was just a bruise, something she probably kicked or knocked as she was abducted. Her hip was aching slightly, again an impact wound as nothing felt broken or stressed too deeply. She took a deep breath to expand her ribcage but other than a slight pain the chest, she suspected all was alright as well. Her shoulder was starting to smart, another impact of her fall to the ground but it was in its socket and seemed to be mobile to most of its regular capacity. Good, her body was in order, she was still dressed warmly enough to withstand the cold in the room, and thought she didn't have her wand, phone or keys in her pockets, she still had a hair-tie, four hairpins if she needed them, and silently thanked Circe for her luck that no one took off her rings, one of which contained a dose of strychnine which could induce death in a matter of minutes. With that knowledge, she allowed herself to get some rest, knowing that whoever took her would soon have to play their hand or try to get information from her one way or the other. Until then, she would conserve her strength.

Just as she shut her eyes, the heavy door opened near silently, the heavy lock clanging metallically. She sat up slowly, wondering whether she would get to see her actual captor.

"I'm glad you're awake Hermione, I thought you would like some dinner," the words were carried into her little cell before she even saw the figure stepping in from the light of the corridor.

Hermione sighed when her suspicions were confirmed before facing her captor. "Hello, Pavlina."


	14. Chapter 14

"You don't seem very surprised to see me," the beautiful woman pouted, the malicious glint in her eyes reminding Hermione of Bellatrix Lestrange and her dark eyes forever glinting with madness and blood-thirst.

Hermione suppressed a visible shudder and offered a leisurely shrug. "I've seen a lot of you over the past few weeks to know that it's your mind behind some of Sasha's work. So few men recognise the feminine touch," she offered in an almost compatriotic way.

"That is sadly true," Pavlina acknowledged the comment before stepping back. "I did mean it about the dinner though. Come," she added and stepped back out of the doorway, expecting to be followed.

Hermione got to her feet and steadied herself for a moment before following her out of the door, two well-built men flanking her sides immediately as she followed after the model ahead. They were in a corridor that seemed to be underground, judging by the damp stone surrounding them and the stairs ahead that would lead them up. That's why the cell window was so high up, it must be barely above ground. She noticed a large door with bars, a flash of furniture and cloth covered items, clearly a storage room. There were another two doors that she surmised were also cells and she worried that they also went after Draco but she couldn't see or hear any signs of life from either of the cell, and hoped she was the only one captured.

They led her up the narrow stairs, ropes fastened along the sides to allow for guidance and the bright light of the lit torches hurt her head further as they climbed up the stairs though a door. A double lock, she noticed for reference before focusing on her surroundings. It was like she was transported from the Hogwarts dungeons to a hunting lodge. The large villa was incredible, the open space of the ground floor leading to a grand staircase on the side and two more floors above them. She could see the same dark stone that was below in her cell under the wood on the floors and the ground, and shuddered at the amount of pelts and antlers of all shapes and sized lining the walls. There were a few bears, a couple of wolves, deer, a sheepskin rug boy the fire and the worst of all, a preserved deer head above a large double door, its dark eyes staring right at her. She suppressed another shudder and tried to look around for clues of where she was. Was she still in Britain? They should be, Pauline said they weren't leaving for another week, so really there was no reason for her to be anywhere else. Or were they in Russia? It was possible, judging by the amount of hunting trophies around. And of course Sokolov would be untouchable in his own country to boot.

She spotted a landline on a nearby table and there was a small notepad laying beside it with some local numbers, and what looked like a foreign number list beginning with 011 44. +44 was the international connecting number for UK so they must be outside of Britain to be using it. Sadly she didn't recognise any of the other numbers. Glad she established at least that, she looked around to see if there was anything else that would give her a clue to her whereabouts. As they walked towards a door on the left, she spotted two men dressed in black sitting at a small table in the corner next to a laptop which showed a few different rooms and the outside of the villa on live camera stream. Damn, the security was very good as well. Something else caught her eye and that was a receipt next to the laptop from what appeared to be a local garage and fuel pitstop by the large truck in the logo. The prices were all in dollars and she tried to catch a glimpse of the address but they were moving too fast towards the door.

At least she knew that she was likely in the US, judging by some of the clues around her. The hunting theme, forest area and quad-bikes outside the door in the camera shot, and the large fuel bill indicated they were somewhere remote, in the mountains, but she didn't know where to being to even try and narrow it down. The only language she could hear was Russian, indicating the crew was all Pavlina's with no locals. She could have guessed that from the strong Slavic features of all the men who seemed to be in the vicinity. So far she counted seven guards. Two by her side, three in the main entrance and two outside the house on the cameras. No sign of Sokolov yet, but she was sure he would appear at some point soon.

Pavlina opened a large double door ceremoniously and revealed a spacious dining room that could easily sit up to thirty guests. What was it with villains and dinning rooms? She would never be quite sure, but was fairly certain she was not about to have any actual food.

"Ty, svyazhi yey," she motioned at one of the men and Hermione found herself manhandled into a chair, her ankles and wrists tied securely with thin but strong ropes that were sure to leave a nasty burn if she was to attempt much movement.

"Good, now we can have a little chat," Pavlina pulled up another chair from the u-shaped seating arrangement and sat about a foot away from her, crossing her long, denim-clad legs almost casually. She waved her hand at the guards and watched as they left them alone before focusing her curious gaze back on Hermione. "You know you had me wondering. At first I thought you were quite genuine with that meeting in the bathroom and your story about the ring. Very clever of you."

"Thanks, the lady doth try," Hermione quipped back cooly as she waited for her to continue.

Pavlina ignored her as if she didn't say a word. "Then I discover that you actually work at the ministry as well. And yet, when I tried to ask around, no one could tell me which department or how to access your information. It took quite some effort to get this," she picked up a thick personal file and began leafing through it. "Hermione Granger, Head of the Intelligence division of the Special Undercover unit at the Department of Mysteries. Several commendations, two medals from the muggle ministry after assisting MI6… You've been rather busy, haven't you?" she asked rhetorically.

Hermione didn't let her surprise show. The information Pavlina had was her real file, not the usual vague one that was kept accessible at the Ministry. There was a very limited number of people who had access to her real file and she trusted all but one - the Muggle Secret Service liaison who contacted them in case of Magical emergencies they came across. There was no one else that would give her away, that she was sure of. If the Russians had access to information about their unit and key people, they were done. She needed to inform Kingsley and they had to do damage control as soon as possible, otherwise they were all in danger. She didn't let any of her worries show however and just observed the blonde across from her.

Seeing she was not playing, Pavlina set the file down and got her wand out. "I can tell you've been gathering information about Ivan and myself. Why? What do you know?" She asked and waited for the answer.

"Well I was going to sell it to the Daily Mail but they weren't really interested. Said you weren't interesting enough for front page news," Hermione stalled nonchalantly before gritting her teeth when a carefully aimed slicing hex left a sharp cut on her thigh, just above the knee joint.

"That's not very nice to say," Pavlina frowned. "I can do this all day, or we can give you Veritaserum if you'd prefer?" she threatened menacingly.

Hermione shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat, I'm easy," she offered before gritting her teeth as another cut was made on her thigh, neatly above the first one, as if they were drawing steps.

Pavlina seemed to make an effort to reel herself in before sitting back. "I think Veritaserum is a bit too quick and boring. Let's have some fun first," she grinned, the malicious glint in her eyes darkening.

"Anything?" Draco asked Alice who seemed to be pulling as much information together as possible.

The redhead however shook her head. "Nothing concrete yet. Your theory of how she was abducted seems correct. We found a pint of semi-skimmed milk in the apparition alley, as well as a few drops of blood from where she likely fell and hit her knee or head. Blood belongs to her, we already had it confirmed. Nothing missing from her flat otherwise, or from the office. Her phone has been switched off and I suspect destroyed as well, we tried tracking it but can't. And the boots that she wore out didn't have a standard heel tracker fitted in either. We can't seem to locate her at all," she admitted.

"Anything else? That can't be it," Draco ran a hand through his already mussed up blond locks and gripped the ends for a moment in sat down heavily and accepted the cup of coffee one of the trainees set before him. He looked at the clock, it was already ten in the morning and they were all mobilised and looking for her. No one has yet claimed the abduction, as foreign secret services sometimes did with a video message, and there was no other sign of foul play. He was trying to recall something that would give him an idea for where to even begin looking. For now, all they had was the fact that Sokolov and Vitalievna have both left the same evening despite planning to stay another week. "What about the Russians?"

"They didn't take commercial travel routes, all the cars are still at the hotel where they keep them when they're away. I sent a sweep team in but all their rooms are clear and all belongings gone. They disappeared in the middle of the night to an unknown destination via privately made international portkey. They could have taken her anywhere," she sighed, looking through the reports before her for any small nugget of useful information.

If it was the Russians, which he believed were the most likely candidates, they needed to start searching for her in places that belonged to them and that could hold a prisoner. The problem with that was the fact that Sokolov owned many company offices, villas all across Russia that were well guarded, and further real estate all around the world. Vitalievna was a bit easier to track, she only owned a few properties, all either in Russia or the US, but even so it added to their list of already endless possibilities for where they could be holding her.

Time, as always, appeared to be his enemy, as every hour she spent with her captors, the likelihood of her death increased and Draco couldn't even bear to think about the possibility of losing her right now. "How do we go about prioritising the search? There must be a way to narrow the list down. Most guarded? Most visited? Can we at least start somewhere? Anywhere?" he asked, snatching up the list of properties in agitation and scanning it for anything that would stand out.

Alice observed him for a moment before reaching across the desk and gently squeezing his wrist. "Hey, look at me," she said firmly, the blond's gaze flicking to her at the unusually firm tone from the usually kind and collected woman. "We'll find her, but you need to stay focused. She's just one of your operatives gone missing. We have a likely perpetrator, and we have a list of possible locations. There are six agents waiting for your command to help you find her. And I promise you we will," she reassured him before sitting back in her chair. "How about we split them into two teams and look at the two areas that are most likely? I mean they are practically untouchable in Russia and policing in Siberia is near non-existent, so it would be ideal. And apart from the couple of places here in the UK and their holdings in Russia, they have most properties along the East Coast of the US. Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, a couple of places near Washington, but also down in South Carolina and Florida. And then there's also couple of ranches in California and one ranch in Texas. It think it would be worth being systematic about this," she pointed out reasonably.

Draco listened to her, his grip on the cup firm and knuckles turning white as he imagined Hermione somewhere on a ranch or a in a massive snowed-in villa, shivering from cold, tortured for information and all alone. He couldn't do this. "Fine, but I need to be on the ground as well. Has Blaise called?" He asked.

Alice nodded. "He'll be here in a couple of hours, but I don't think it's best to have all the department heads out in the field at the same time-" she tried to protest, despite already knowing it was in vain.

Draco's eyes snapped to her. "If we don't find her, she's dead. If we find her too late and she has talks, she's also dead. I will not sit on my ass in the office because I'm too precious," he hissed before sitting back and trying to quell his emotions. He needed to pull himself together and make some tough calls otherwise they would run out of time.

"Blaise speaks Russian and a few local dialects closer to the Asian border that will come in handy. Advise him to polyjuice though, and to pick someone with Slavic features, to make his presence less conspicuous. You know how they are about visible difference in that part of the world. I'll take half the team across the pond. That's the plan until you're told otherwise. Get everyone into the meeting room, I'll get confirmation and join you for a briefing in fifteen minutes," he stood up and headed for the fireplace to check in with the Minister.

Alice watched him leave and sat back in her seat tiredly. She could only hope they would find her swiftly, for all their sakes.


	15. Chapter 15

"Urgh, see what you've done to the carpet? We'll have to get a new one now," Pavlina tutted, sounding both bored and agitated.

Hermione spat out the last of the blood from her mouth, feeling one of her teeth loosen in its place. Thank Merlin for healing magic, that is if she ever got out of here... But keeping up with the pretty blond, she only offered a bloody grin. "Well…we usually make sure to put down a plastic sheet when interrogating someone in their house. Torture in the middle of the dining room is a sign of narcissism and poor taste," she jibed before her breath was knocked out of her when Pavlina's foot made contact with her abdomen.

"The day we put down a plastic sheet for you is the day you die," the blond seethed and then shouted three short commands in Russian before two of the guards came to take her away. The witch gave them nothing so far, and she was loosing her patience.

An agonised cry left Hermione's lips as they manhandled her to a standing position, the cuts on her legs stinging and stretching, her aching torso struggling to take in air. Deciding it might be easier that way, one of the guards threw her over his shoulder and they carried her down to the cell again. She tried to suppress the dizziness that came with being carried upside down, but was able to reach for the piece of white paper sticking out of the man's pocket, pulling it free while he walked and sticking it inside the sleeve of her jumper, hoping neither of the men noticed. She was promptly and none-too-gently deposited on the bed before the door of her cell closed firmly and the lock was secured with a clang.

She waited a few moments in silence, allowing her body to overcome the bout of dizziness and nausea as she curled up on her side and hugged herself to keep warm and steady. Once she was sure she could move without the room spinning, Hermione reached into her jumper sleeve and pulled out the small scrap of paper. It was a receipt, from what she presumed was a local diner. The address quickly revealed to her that she was in Pennsylvania, and she allowed herself to enjoy the small moment of victory. They were not far from New York where she had friends that could take her in. Even if no one found her in time, she would try her best to escape and find sanctuary to inform Kingsley about the security leak.

With no energy left in her, Hermione covered herself up with the thin duvet tucked into the mattress and clutched the crumpled receipts in her bloodied hand, wishing more than anything that she had enough energy to send Draco a message to let him know where she was because she knew he would be looking for her. As she gave into exhaustion and fell asleep, she missed the crumpled note disappearing from her hand.

"Tell me you have something," he picked up the phone after only two rings.

It was such a familiar phrase, uttered so many times on simple intelligence missions or when he was helping with the research before their team grew. Never had Blaise heard the words spoken with such feeling, knowing that underneath the steady commanding voice, Draco was getting desperate to find her. It has been more than forty-eight hours since Hermione disappeared and they still haven't found her. And he was not about to make the blond happy either.

"We have something - we know where she isn't," he admitted as he crossed off another location on his map. They had about five more to go and he knew it would take them all day to check them all out. "She isn't in any of the holiday locations. We also checked several offices and today we made the rounds of their houses. Nothing to report. We have five factories to check but they're large buildings and often times have magical fields around them so we need to physically go in and walk the buildings through without disturbing the wards. It will take a while," he explained.

"Fuck. FUCK! Why haven't we found her yet?" The blond swore and sat down heavily on the fallen tree trunk, looking out over the vast forests surrounding Portland.

Blaise knew they were running out of time and despite his best efforts to reassure the blond, it was not looking good and their chances of finding her were getting smaller. "They must have taken her somewhere strategic, maybe they even have a property under fidelius that we won't be able to find until we find a way to infiltrate them. Let's just first tick of all the ones we know about before chasing theories. How far did you get?" He asked.

"We started in South Carolina and went along the South to California and up to Oregon. We thought this remote cabin would have been ideal for hostage holding but it's been abandoned for at least a year. There aren't even any guards. Every step we take I feel like she's getting further away from me," he admitted softly, clenching his hand into a fist to stop the tremor in his fingers.

Blaise sighed. "Then you need to look harder and search faster. So will we. We'll get our girl back," he said confidently, wondering whether Draco could sense his own worry. Most likely, as they could read each other too well.

Draco was silent for a moment before nodding. "Check-in in four hours?" He asked.

"Right on schedule," Blaise promised and ended the call.

Draco stared at the smartphone in his hand for a long moment before putting it in his pocket. Blaise was right, they needed to work even faster and smarter. "Chris, call the others, we have a new strategy," he called to the nearby agent.

Liquid wildfire coarse through her veins as she clawed at her chest to make it stop, he mouth open in a hoarse scream. Her throat was too raw at this point and she could barely tell reality from her nightmares. Suddenly the Cruciatus was lifted and she sagged into the carpet, her fingers twitching from the residual magic, her nervous system unable to control the finer nerve endings.

"That is disgusting," Pavlina hissed and stepped away as Sokolov looked at her coldly.

She could feel warmth seeping through her trousers and realised that her bladder gave out and she and the carpet were covered in her urine. She was beyond caring, in far too much pain to care about the humiliation. She didn't yet know it would not be the end of it.

Sokolov gave a few quick orders in Russian and she was hauled to her feet, forced to walk and stumble out of the villa into the field at the back. They practically threw her to the ground before large hands began pawing at her clothes. She tried to protest, tried to push them away, but her muscles screamed in agony, her fingers slipped on their forearms and she didn't even land a kick as the last of her clothing was torn from her bruised and bleeding body. She was shivering with the cold and the pain, her brain slowly shutting down in anticipation of being taken against her will. She was shocked out of her curled up position when one of the men made her stand up and held her arm in a bruising grip while the other picked up a hose. Her already shivering body was blasted with freezing cold water, forcing the breath out of her as she was hosed down, front and back, much to the amusement of all the guards. The sinister laughter and wolf-whistling jolted her awake, making her groan in pain as her body spasmed at the sudden violent movement.

She looked around to assess where she was, finding herself back in her cell. She was still shivering but not as cold, her forehead ablaze with a mild fever, and her aching body dressed in what she assumed were Pavlina's old jeans and a thick flannel shirt that helped keep her core temperature stable. They wouldn't want her to die on them from hypothermia before she divulged the information they needed from her after all.

After three days torture, she was physically and mentally exhausted but still alive. The first day was the easiest, as Pavlina only used manual torture methods on her. Once Sokolov joined them yesterday, her torture took on a much more dangerous path, leaving Hermione exhausted and aching from the residual magic. They even tried veritaserum on her yesterday, before realising that she was able to resist its effects despite the high dosage. That only incurred their wrath further and led to the Cruciatus.

She sighed and slowly sat up, leaning back against the wall for support as she tried to slow her wildly beating heart. Her leg muscles were quaking a bit but she flexed her muscles gently and methodically until they felt a bit more comfortable. Her hand was a completely different case though. She pressed her sharper nail into the little finger and felt the dimmed pain, something not quite right with her nerve endings. She needed the post-cruciatus care, a potion that existed during the war but with limited capabilities. It was perfected after the final battle, with so many of their generation left with crippling injuries or damage that was difficult to repair as it was caused by dark magic. She needed to get that potion in her system ideally in the next three days to not incur too much damage, but odds were that they would kill her in less than that if she didn't manage to get away, so she wasn't too worried about it either way. A rustle outside caught her attention, as did approaching footsteps. One? No, two people. One quite a heavy walk with shorter steps, the other much lighter and lithe but still noticeable on the hard cold ground.

"…which is why I haven't had time to brief you before we got in. We finally found it, hiding in the Black Forest in a sealed off cave. The seal had a swastika on it, and there are signs that it may have been one of Hitler's secret locations for keeping his loot ransacked during the muggle second World War. There were paintings, statues and lots of jewellery," the first man explained. He was clearly British, and sounded very much like an Oxbridge professor. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later.

"And you require my assistance to confirm that it has magical properties and make sure it's suitable for testing," the other man confirmed, sounding younger but also British. His steps were much lighter, nearly too quiet.

One appeared to be a professor, maybe if he was talking about the sealed cave, he was something of an archeologist or historian? The other man was clearly a curse breaker, judging by the way he talked about assessing the object and the fact that he clearly wore dragon hide boots to make his steps so quiet. They were the only type of material that achieved that and it was famously the most common amongst curse breakers to wear them.

"Yes. The ring looks inconspicuous enough to muggles but I could tell it is at least eight hundred years old and yet the gold looks barely aged. These are the latest photographs," their steps paused just outside her cell. Hermione held still and quiet as a mouse to not alert them to her presence. "As you may see here, the flat gold top has two runes carved into it, as well as the band and surrounding sides carrying further five runes. Seven runes carved into a single ring, that is completely unheard of these days. The magic of this ring must be balanced in a way that hasn't been seen since the old magical days and times of druids. If my suspicions are correct, this is indeed the Ring of Dispel, which means you must tread carefully with its magic. Once you confirm the magic is settled in the ring and there is no threat, we will be able to proceed with testing," he confirmed.

The curse breaker was silent for a moment, by the sound of the shuffling paper he was leafing through the photographs. "I'll do it but you know my price, Quintus. If this is truly so old, I'll be charging you double considering the magical implications of a test gone wrong," he finally asserted.

"Money is of no concern to my clients. Just do what you must to allow for testing, and you will receive your fee," the professor summarised and they moved on around the corner toward what she suspected was the front entrance.

Hermione sat there for a moment in silence, her brain processing all the information she just heard. The ring of dispel…..the ring of dispel…. She kept repeating the name in her mind, trying to find why it sounded familiar. Her vast memory worked almost as a library in itself, which helped her occlumency skills no end. On the other hand, it sometimes took her a while to recall certain connections due to cross-referencing. The Ring of Dispel….. Her eyes snapped forward as she finally made the connection. Sir Lancelot and the Lady of the Lake.

The Ring of Dispel was a magical ring that was crafted to cancel out all magic. In one of the retellings of the Arthurian Legends, it was given to Sir Lancelot by the Lady of the Lake in order to protect him on his mission to guard Arthur. It was barely mentioned and muggles considered the whole Arthurian era a legend but magical folk knew better, especially about Merlin's involvement. She wouldn't be surprised if the ring was designed by Merlin himself and left with the Lady of the Lake to gift to Lancelot at the right moment… Oh Godric it all made sense! That's why Dolohov had Le Mort D'Arthur on his desk! She could recall the photographs taken of his table in his hotel room in Australia, puzzled by his reading material. He was doing background research! Now, she was certain that the ring was exactly what the Russian couple were after.

She slowly stretched her legs and got up, hoping that by walking around her cell she would raise her heart rate and force her feverish brain to move faster. The international search for an artefact…it would have likely been in UK but they must have searched there first, then they searched in Europe, as uncovered by their intelligence team and their record with the Auction houses in Vienna, Budapest, Rome and Bucharest. And as Australia was a colony, it made sense to check if any of the ex-pats bought the ring as part of some sort of collection without knowing what they actually had. But they couldn't have found it because it was apparently in a cave in the German Black Forest, at least according to this 'professor'.

She wondered who that was, someone they clearly haven't connected to Sokolov. British, he sounded in his late forties or early fifties by his voice, and by the sound of his walk and slight breathlessness from the slight hill around the villa, she suspected someone quite unfit or a bit heavy. They would have to check any wizard or squib named Quintus with Russian ties, especially in the archaeology and history departments. The curse breaker that was with him sounded like a colleague but clearly not involved with Sokolov, merely a hired expert.

Now that she knew who was involved and what they were after, she focused on the why - Why were they after the Ring of Dispel? What was it about the ring that would be useful to the couple? There was little known about the ring itself, other than it cancelled out magic. Was it then in essence a magical shield? Or did it cancel our the wearer's magic as well? Could it cancel out any spell sent at the castor? She halted in mid-step when it finally dawned on her. Oh Merlin, if it could cancel out all magic, then the person wearing couldn't be killed with a spell either…. Avada would simply be cancelled by the ring if its power was true. That would make Sokolov practically magically untouchable! No wonder they were after the ring. The Deathly hallows were unattainable - the wand was resting with Dumbledore and protected by powerful magic, and both the stone and the invisibility cloak were destroyed in the battle. Getting this ring would mean never to have to fear magical attack and that would come in very useful for a Russian oligarch…

Merlin she wishes she could get her hands of a handgun. In case the ring is really what she suspected it was, Sokolov would be only dispatched by muggle methods - poison, stabbing, firearms, even close combat. The problem was that he would not ingest anything Hermione even breathed near, and she wouldn't be able to get close to him to incapacitate otherwise. If anyone was coming for her, she hoped they were packing for muggle combat as well.

Wavering between hope of rescue and acknowledging how bleak her chances of survival truly were after three days in captivity, Hermione laid back down to give her body some rest and hummed a soft tune to herself to keep her mind from slipping back to the nightmares...


	16. Chapter 16

Draco sat up on the creaky bed tiredly and rubbed his dry eyes. They searched for more than 24 hours before he finally found them a motel and they settled down to rest for a few hours before continuing their search. He checked his phone and saw a text from Chris who split from him and Andreas earlier to start the search up in Maine, while Draco continued the search from the South up.

'Nothing yet. Will take 4 hours rest once you're on the move. C'

Draco quickly let him know that they were now awake and getting ready to search again, so Chris and his team could rest up. After a quick hot shower, he took a moment to sit on the bed in his towel, hair still dripping wet onto his forearms as he tried to organise his thoughts. Reaching inside his bag, he tried to find the small bottle of hand cream Hermione shared with him, a familiar scent, just to make her feel closer for a moment, when his fingers came across a crumpled piece of damp paper. Curiously he pulled it out and found his fingers covered in blood from the bloody fingerprints left on the paper.

"What the-" he unfurled the paper and realised it carried just a small magical signature that was very familiar to his magic. Hermione…. He read the piece of paper for clues, wondering whey he had a gas station receipt before realising it had an address. And if she had someone transport this to him from her captivity then this is where she was. He searched for the information about the state and then cross-checked it with the list of properties.

Pennsylvania.

They had them.

He folder the receipt and got on the phone immediately.

Draco landed with his team not far from the villa, having apparated from the village nearby after confirming that the locals have seen Russians in the area. The scrunched up receipt carrying her magic was folded in his pocket, burning with urgency and his need to find her. They were met by Blaise and his team mates were already waiting for them, having jumped a few emergency international portkeys to get there.

"Are you strong enough for combat?" Draco asked, knowing jumping through timezones was exhausting.

Blaise nodded. "You're freshly rested, you should lead the combat and we'll do the surveillance and keep you covered," he suggested.

"Good. Let's spread out. Check for security movement, number of people in the building, wards and any areas where they could be keeping her - a shed, some sort of locked unit, any underground areas. Report through your ear piece. Is everyone carrying both magical and muggle weaponry?" he asked just to check.

Once everyone confirmed they were fully equipped, they spread out and covered the whole perimeter of the villa in the woods, surrounding the building.

"Two guards by the front entrance, east side. One guard on the overhead balcony, heading indoors."

"Copy. Three quad bikes parked nearby, no other vehicle in sight and no garage detected in the layout of the building."

Draco pressed his earpiece to connect him to their office in Britain where the rest of their team was waiting. "Alice, do you copy?"

"I'm here," her answer came clear.

Draco switched the frequency for all of them to hear what she was about to say. "What's the status?"

A small rustle of paper could be heard, no doubt a map and floor plan of the villa. "Villa belongs to Sokolov's private account as opposed to any of his companies. It is guarded year round with two security guards in residence at all times. Four days ago the order came in for a team of six additional security detail members to join the team at the villa, and several items were bought in the village below - food to last a week, extra canisters of fuel, and cleaning products including bleach. Current occupancy of the villa is predicted at 10 persons in total," she concluded.

"Floor plan?" he asked.

"Ground floor and first floor above, before the building's distinct roof shape gets in the way. As far as we can tell, the space under the roof is used for storage or has been blocked off. No garage or outbuilding. There also seems to be an underground section, and by the layout I would guess a cellar or a row of cells. If I was holding a hostage, that's where I would put them. According to this blueprint, there are small windows in the cells, I presume with bars. The indicated height of the window is 55 centimetres, and the width 60 centimetres but I'm not sure how accurate that is. If it is to plan though, you could get rid of the bars and vacate a prisoner through the small window if they're small enough," she theorised.

"Which Hermione would be. Excellent work, Alice. Stay on the line and close yourself and the rest of the team off in the meeting room. We will shortly provide you with live video feed. Blaise?"

"Copy, video coming through, from four of us," he clicked the small button on his clear protective glasses and waited a moment for confirmation.

"We have visual," Alice's confirmation came through.

"Remain on the line to oversee mission and report if you spot anything we haven't. Team, we are looking for cell windows just above ground. Anyone have visual?" He asked.

"Copy, we have a visual on the West side of the building. No guard on the ground, neither on the balcony above. All clear to move in, awaiting orders," Chris' voice came through.

"Do not approach, await my arrival," Draco ordered and moved around, using the shadows and foliage to move carefully from the southern to the western side of the building. He crouched beside Chris who pointed at two small windows with bars.

"Cover me while I approach," he ordered, his wand firmly in hand as he cast a disillusionment spell around himself.

He gently felt for the magical wards around the villa but swiftly realised there weren't any due to the mixture of magical and muggle beings in residence. Fools, they hire security and don't bother with proper wards. It was all the more easier for him to approach though and he looked into the first cell. It was empty. He carefully walked to the next one and crouched down.

The early morning air was crisp but Hermione breathed it in calmly, sensing the sun would begin rising soon. And soon with it would come time for her to be dragged upstairs for another round of torture. She breathed in deeply and tried to clear her mind, preparing herself for the day ahead. "If you are looking for me, please find me," she whispered to the still air in the cell, hoping to see the one person she loved before she died. Her senses suddenly prickled and she looked up towards the bars of her small cell, a pair of light dragon hide boots coming into her view.

Draco spotted a soft movement on the bed and looked towards the shadow outline of a person. He cast a silencing charm bubble around the area near the cell to not be overheard. "Hermione?" He asked softly.

She startled and stood up, coming into the view of the soft moonlight. It was undeniably her, and she nearly cried with relief when she heard Draco's voice. But she didn't trust herself that this wasn't a dream or that her captors weren't manipulating her. "I'm tall when I'm young and short when I'm old. What am I?" she asked softly.

There was no hesitation in Draco's answer. "The red candle on your bedside, my Christmas gift to you. I smell like Earl grey, parchment and indigo ink. What am I?" He asked in turn.

"Your amortentia," she replied, only now allowing herself to step closer to the bars and reach for him. "You came for me," she whispered.

"I will always come for you," he whispered back before motioning for her to step back.

He held onto one of the bars and cast a modified severing charm at would be able to tackle the thickness of the metal bars. One by one, he had the bars removed. "Status?" he asked into his earpiece.

"All clear, guards stationery, no movement inside," Blaise confirmed in his ear.

"Chris?" He asked as the last bar came away from the small window.

"At your six o'clock, covering your back. All stationery from here as well," he confirmed.

Draco turned his attention back to Hermione. "Are you injured?" He asked.

Hermione nodded. "I'm weak and can't walk without difficulty. Possible nerve damage from Cruciatus," she assessed quickly.

The whole team could hear her answer and Blaise could have sworn he heard Draco gritting his teeth with rage. "Get her out, Draco. I have the medical kit waiting. We will move to your six o'clock with it," he instructed and motioned for Andreas to pick it up and follow him.

"Okay, I will cast a levitating spell and pull you through the bars. I'll need you to try and stay as still as possible and tuck everything in. Just reach out with your arm," he instructed.

Hermione stood still with her legs straight and heels touching, her arms stretched out straight she reached up to Draco. Moments later the sensation of weightlessness washed over her whole body and she began slowly floating upwards. His warm hands were mostly covered in his fingerless duelling gloves, but the heat from the bit of skin contact instantly brought her comfort as he guided her to float through the narrow window with a little difficulty, the stone scraping the width of her shoulders and hips slightly before she was finally free. Draco pulled her into his arms and she held onto him tightly as he dropped the spell.

"All clear to bring her over," Chris confirmed through the earpiece before making space for Draco to come through the small opening in the shrubbery.

Draco hoisted her up and carried her swiftly in a straight line down towards the bushes and stepped through, setting her on the ground once they were encased in Chris' silenced bubble. Blaise had his jacket waiting for her, as they wrapped her up warmly, trying to make sure she wouldn't succumb to the chill in the air. Draco couldn't stop looking at her, his hand still holding onto hers despite no longer needing his support.

She knew she looked a fright, her hair wild and matted, her whole body covered in cuts and bruises and her hands twitching out of control at random. Before she could so much as argue, Blaise was helping her drink the post-cruciatus potion along with pain relief, and nutrition potion. She swallowed everything obediently before allowing her dear friend to pull her into a gentle embrace. "Thanks for coming for me," she said softly.

Blaise nodded. "We would never abandon you," he promised.

Hermione offered a small, humourless smile before holding out a hand. "I need an earpiece so everyone can hear me," she instructed and received one without hesitation from Chris, who happily surrendered it to one of his commanders.

"All teams copy, this is DMIG01," she identified herself and her smile widened for a moment when she heard Alice's exclamation of joy and the murmur of the team over the line.

"Situation update, ma'am?" Andreas asked with a bow of his head.

"I can confirm there are at least 12 people inside the villa. The wards are momentarily down due to a muggle or a squib visiting the villa. He is a professor, first name Quintus, sounds Oxbridge. Recently returned from Germany from an archaeological dig. Alice?"

"We're on it," the redhead confirmed as she one of her agents started a search.

"I also need you to deliver an urgent message to the Minister. Sokolov and Vitalievna have access to my full staff file and active duty history," she added, the silence on the line near deafening. Every single person on the team realised that if they had her file, any and every single one of them could be equally compromised.

"A mole?" Alice asked, regaining her composure.

"Yes, but thankfully not ours. Current most likely suspect is Stephen Abernathy, the muggle secret service liaison. He needs to be brought into custody for questioning under Veritaserum and any suspicious ties. Monitor the usual places where information about our team could be sold, just in case they already have it all and we are all compromised," she ordered.

"Right away," Alice confirmed. "In the meantime, the man inside is Professor Quintus Hoxby, Fellow of King's College who specialises in Early Medieval History. Age 56, speaks English, German and Russian, and has recently returned from a trip to Germany - three days ago. He flew to London, stayed for one night, and then flew from Heathrow to New York yesterday. Everything that you've indicated so far is correct. There doesn't seem to be any magical record of him so I would guess that he is a muggle rather than a squib, and aware of the magical world."

Hermione nodded. "He entered the villa with a hired curse-breaker, but he didn't appear to be part of Sokolov's circle, just a hired expert. We will however have to take than into account upon entry," she added. "Now, before you plan approach, Professor Hoxby brought with him a magical artefact - the Ring of Dispel. I believe this is what he has been searching for and had Dolohov research in Australia," she explained.

"What is this Ring of Dispel? I don't think I've ever heard of it," Blaise asked.

Alice was already answering before Hermione even got the chance to. "In Arthurian folklore, Lancelot was gifted a ring, known as the Ring of Dispel, by the Lady of the Lake. This ring could resist magic and dispel illusions. It allowed him to successfully cross the Sword Bridge at Gorre. On the other side of the bridge were two huge lions that promised to make short work of anyone who attempted to cross, but the ring revealed them to be nothing more than illusions," she read out. "Very little information is known. We are trying a few searches but everything is either legendary or most sources are going up with a simple one sentence reference. We can't even tell its properties."

"I expected as such," Hermione sighed. "We're going in with limited knowledge of its effects. If the ring can resist magic, than any magical attempt to take the wearer down will be useless. What could however work is muggle methods. Guns and restraints. Is everyone packed for mixed combat?" She asked.

Chris and Andreas nodded. "Yes ma'am, everything from knives to handguns."

"Prioritise those but make sure to keep a magical shield up. Get in formation two, Chris and Roman at the front," Draco's experience kicked in and he instructed his team before looking down at Hermione. "You can't fight in this state. I'll have Blaise escort you to a healer."

"No," Hermione said clearly, pulling Blaise's jacket tighter around herself. "Once we secure the villa and its occupants, we'll need to secure the artefact and from what I've seen on my way in and out of the cell, they brought with them a paper trail that will serve as evidence to capture and prosecute the rest of his team. We don't even have enough to tie Dolohov to this at the moment, his other offences none withstanding. I'll stay to oversee the evidence and only then will I agree to take the international portkey," she said calmly but firmly.

"It may be better for you to be transported to New York instead for medical care. It's closer," Blaise suggested.

She however shook her head once again. "My injuries are not severe enough to prevent me from international travel. I want to go home," clearly her final word.

Blaise sighed at her stubbornness but nodded. "I'll stay with you. Draco, you can take over direction of both our teams and lead on the apprehension."

Draco looked at her for a long moment, before squeezing her hand once more and walking away without looking back at her once. She looked at Blaise worriedly but he just shook his head. They both knew Draco wanted nothing more than to stay beside her but couldn't do so with the mission still not complete.

"We'll be home soon," he promised just as Draco gave the go ahead and the first two security guards at the main entrance were quietly disarmed and unconscious. Chris and Andreas moved in, securing the men's arms behind their back and securing a silencing charm on their throats to prevent them from alerting anyone else in case they wake up prematurely. Chris levitated them back to their initial position where Draco set up a magic-dampening cage and they were set inside in case they had any magic at all.

"I don't have a good feeling about this. Maybe you should go with them.." Hermione squeezed Blaise's forearm as Chris and Andreas kicked down the door to the villa.


End file.
